Bright Simons, the Vice President of policy think tank, IMANI Africa, has come under intense backlash from internet users after his recent post on social media.
Simons in a post via his X handle alleged that a topnotch Ghanaian politician was exposed in an irregular transfer of pounds sterling in the United Kingdom.
On March 13, 2024, he wrote, “Dark rumours circulating in Accra of a politically exposed Ghanaian bigshot knocking heads with British airport customs about millions of sterling being moved through the UK without the necessary paperwork. Frantic digging for trusted sources all over.”
The post by the IMANI Africa Vice President immediately caught fire, and made the headlines as most people assumed that the said exposed political figure is a member or associated with the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
However, checks by Accra-based Citi FM with the UK Financial Intelligence Unit and the UK Immigration, previously known as the UK Border Agency, have revealed that the said incident did not happen as the two agencies have denied knowledge of claims suggesting that £15 million has been impounded from an individual from Ghana.
According to the UK financial intelligence agency and the immigration agency, they have no records of any money being seized from any individual from Ghana.
Reacting to the new development, some internet users on the X platform have expressed their utmost disappointment in Bright Simons for allegedly peddling falsehood.
A section of netizens on X also believe that the post was politically motivated.
Check out reactions from netizens below:
Dis blockhead Bright Simmons guy is just an educated fool and a hopeless human being….you sit on social media and after all your so called quality education, you do dis NDC Sammy Gyamfi Ofosu Kwakye peanut paid propaganda….#Madness pic.twitter.com/uWYWev0bDQ
— Nana Ansah Obofour (@NanaAnsahObofou) March 18, 2024
Bright Simmons believing someone traveled with £15m in cash has got me side-eyeing him. 😂
— 🤚🏾🇬🇭 (@mr_addo) March 18, 2024
To verify the rumors, Citi wrote to the UK Border authorities and got a response in the negative and that’s what they have reported. That’s responsible journalism. Why didn’t Bright Simmons do same instead of putting the rumors into the public domain?
— Augustine Agbenaza (@august4551) March 18, 2024
He shd know that people have come to trust him. If this turns out to be untrue, he wld have disappointed many pple.
— Kwadjo Amponsah (@kwajo__Amponsah) March 19, 2024
Bright Simmons is an intelligent man who lies sometimes.
The fact that he lies doesn’t make him any less intelligent. It just means he has amassed followers who aren’t inspired to be curious hence they take his commentaries as gospel.
He knows what he’s doing.
— Yaw Marfo Adu (@YMarfoAdu) March 18, 2024
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