Former Adisadel Electoral Area Assemblyman in the Central Region, Mr Opia Mensah, has strongly refuted what he calls a “malicious smear campaign” following the publication of a false and sensational story by a bogus website cloning the popular GhanaWeb news portal.

In a sharply worded rejoinder dated May 13, 2025, Mr Mensah categorically denied allegations that he had gone into hiding after allegedly embezzling GH₵2.3 million through a fraudulent auction scheme linked to Hasnam Auction Mart.

He described the report as a deliberate attempt to assassinate his character under the guise of journalism.

"I am not on the run, nor have I been pursued by the Ghana Police Service, the Institute of Auctioneers, or the Accra High Court regarding any auction fraud or criminal conduct," Mensah stated.

“There is no criminal investigation against me, and I remain fully available to cooperate with any lawful inquiry.”

The fake report, headlined “Auction Fraud: Opia Mensah, Ex-Adisadel Assemblyman, Flees with GH₵2.3 Million”, alleged that Mr Mensah and one Alan Kweku Otoo Idun were behind a fraudulent auction operation that defrauded unsuspecting clients.

Mr Mensah dismissed the claims as entirely false, asserting that he has no association with the said Idun and has never been involved in any fraudulent auction deals.

According to the report, Mr Mensah supposedly collected GH₵2 million from victims under the pretext of delivering auction vehicles.

But Mr Mensah denied any involvement in such a scheme, stating emphatically: “I have not engaged in any such act, and no complaint of this nature has been filed against me at any police station or court.”

He has since demanded an unqualified retraction and public apology from the operators of the fraudulent website.

He warned that failure to comply would result in legal action to defend his reputation.

He also criticised the platform for failing to seek his side of the story before publishing the damaging allegations — a move he described as “a gross violation of journalistic ethics and a blatant disregard for the truth.”