The Chief Executive Officer of Engineers & Planners Limited, Mr Ibrahim Mahama, has demanded an immediate retraction and unqualified apology from investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni. This comes after Mr Awuni in his latest book, "The President Ghana Never Got," stated that the Universal Merchant Bank (UMB), formerly State-owned Merchant Bank, generated uproar in 2013 when it was sold to a private equity firm, Fortiz. Read also: I have not had it easy under Akufo-Addo's administration - Manasseh Azure According to the author, FirstRand Bank of South Africa was said to be willing to pay GH₵176million for 75% of Merchant Bank's shares, while Fortiz offered only GH₵90million for 90% of the shares in the state-owned bank. "The controversy deepened when it emerged that a brother of President John Mahama, Ibrahim Mahama, was one of the big debtors of the then Merchant Bank, which resulted in the bank's struggles," portions of the book read. However, Mr Mahama has refuted this claim in the book. In a letter from his solicitor, Mr Mahama demanded an immediate retraction of the publication and an unqualified apology from Mr Awuni.