Accra, Feb. 18 – Samuel Nartey George, Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, has clarified that not all women whose images were circulated by a Russian national had intimate encounters with him.
“Not all the women he publicised were engaged in any intimate encounter with him. In some cases, he barely met them at malls, said ‘hi’ and engaged them briefly,” Mr George said.
He made the remarks at a joint press briefing in Accra with Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, to provide updates on investigations into the unlawful dissemination of intimate images.
Mr George described the suspect’s actions as “evil,” noting that preliminary investigations by the Cyber Security Authority Ghana revealed that in several instances there was no evidence of any intimate relationship beyond brief public encounters.
“In some cases, there is actually no video evidence beyond the mall encounters. However, he published their images as though he had intimate encounters with all of them,” he explained, emphasising that the misrepresentation had caused significant harm and that the suspect must face the full force of the law.
He added that, despite the absence of a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with Russia, the Government is pursuing international law enforcement mechanisms, including INTERPOL, to secure an international arrest warrant. While the Russian Constitution prevents extradition of its citizens, the warrant would restrict the suspect’s travel outside Russia.
“As soon as he steps outside Russia into any other country, he will be arrested to serve his sentence. Our proactive action has helped protect potential future victims,” Mr George said, rejecting calls for inaction and stressing the government’s responsibility to uphold cybersecurity laws.
Dr Lartey noted that the incident caused severe emotional and psychological trauma to the affected women, some of whom had no intimate contact with the suspect. She urged the public to exercise restraint and empathy, warning that insensitive commentary could worsen the victims’ distress.
The Minister assured victims of government support, including access to professional psychosocial services, and encouraged affected persons to contact the Ministry with strict confidentiality guaranteed.
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