The Central Bank (CB) and the Finance Ministry have imposed curbs on the media with officials being barred from phone interviews to journalists, informed sources said.
According to a directive issued by the Central Bank, top officials are allowed to provide information in face-to-face interviews and not phone interviews. However the new directive also stipulates that prior approval from the head of the institution is necessary for such interviews, the sources said. A similar ruling has gone out in the Finance Ministry.
A senior government official said that they have also abided by the Public Secrecy Act as government servants, but there was no prohibition earlier against the disseminating of information of public interest.
He noted that everything depends on interpretation of the regulation and this new directive may be aimed at plugging leaks of financially sensitive information. |
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