A Deputy Information Minister, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, has refuted allegations that three Joy FM reporters demanded money from him and his colleague Mr James Agyenim Boateng to shelve negative stories against the government. He told Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme host Randy Abbey that neither he nor his colleague has in their possession any tape recording of the station’s reporters trying to blackmail them as alleged by an NDC activist on Asempa FM's 'Ekosii Sen' programme, Monday. Brian Hamza Haruna alleged on the programme that three journalists from Joy FM demanded an amount of $5,000 in respect of a running story about the editor of the New Punch Newspaper Ato Sam (Baby Ansaba). Mr Ansaba raised eyebrows when he confessed to writing completely false stories about the health status of then candidate Mills prior to the 2008 elections. On Friday, Joy FM run a story suggesting that Baby Ansaba's confession may have been teased by some members of the ruling party who were not happy that the Vice-President reportedly gave Baby Ansaba money to offset a compensation to the family of someone he knocked and killed with his car. Hamza Haruna probably unhappy with the story, levelled the allegations against the three reporters, claiming he was in possession of a tape recording of the reporters demanding money from the two Deputy Minister of Information. But the Deputy Ministers have denied ever recording any Joy FM reporter(s) or meeting with any reporter who demanded money from them. “He says that together with James Agyenim Boateng, no reporter of Joy FM has approached them for money. They have not recorded anybody, whether audio or video; they have not told anybody that any journalist came to demand any money and so he [Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa] and James Agyenim Boateng are very furious” at the issues attributed to them, Randy said. He quoted Mr Ablakwa as saying he and his colleague have not seen the gentleman who made the allegation in a while and have not spoken to him on any such issue. Speaking on the issue, Deputy Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Omane Boamah, who was also on the programme rejected Hamza's allegations, saying Mr Ablakwa had told him personally there was no iota of truth in what Hamza said on Asempa FM. “I also think that to cite one or two instances and say that as a result of that Joy FM’s standards are falling will be statistically inaccurate,” Dr Boamah noted. By: Dorcas Efe Mensah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana