The Member of Parliament for Juaboso Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has sued the Bono Regional Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Kwame Baffoe (Abronye) and Ken City Media.
The lawmaker sued the politician and the media house which belongs to Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong, for defamation.
The lawmaker is demanding Ghc2 million in damages.
The suit said “An action having been commenced against you by the issue of this writ by the above-named Plaintiff. You are hereby commanded that within eight days after service of this writ on you inclusive of the day of service you do cause an appearance to be entered from you.”
Abronye had claimed on Oman Fm that Mr Akandoh demanded money from Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu over the botched Sputnik-V vaccine deal.
The Health Minister was recently investigated by a parliamentary committee over the botched Sputnik V vaccine contract.
It was established that he breached several laws including, the failure to seek parliamentary and cabinet approval.
“Akandoh was demanding from Agyeman-Manu money that belonged to the state in relation to the Sputnik V deal in order to stop criticizing the Health Minister with regards to the deal,” he alleged.
But the MP has denied the allegation and sued Abronye.
Portions of the claims by the MP read: ”The Plaintiff further avers that the said false and malicious utterances and publication by the 1st Defendant and 2nd Defendant meant and were naturally and ordinarily understood by right – thinking members of the society to mean that the Plaintiff promotes bribery, compromises his work as a Member of Parliament for bribes and is in the business of aiding and abetting the breaching of the laws of the Republic of Ghana.
The Plaintiff avers that the 2nd Defendant by publishing the said defamatory statement by the 1st Defendant did so with the sole purpose of aiding and or facilitating the 1st Defendant to dent the reputation of the Plaintiff without any justification and to impute crime to the Plaintiff since under the laws of Ghana, bribery and corruption is criminalized.
The Plaintiff says that the false and malicious utterances made by the 1st Defendant which were published by the 2nd Defendant were designed to disparage him and create embarrassment, resentment and disaffection for him in the minds of right – thinking members of the society.
The Plaintiff will rely on the following facts and matters in support of the claim for damages, including aggravated damages for malicious defamation:
The defamatory words were uttered, broadcast and published by the Defendants recklessly and not caring about the irreparable damage that will be caused to the reputation of the Plaintiff;
The defamatory words were uttered, broadcast or publicized without caution in a malicious manner with intent to cause damage and injury to the Plaintiff’s hard-earned reputation.
Plaintiff avers that since the defamatory statement was uttered by the 1st Defendant aided by the 2nd Defendant and 3rd Defendant, he has been inundated with calls from his constituents, family members, friends and other Members of Parliament expressing concerns with the defamatory statement uttered by the 1st Defendant.
Plaintiff avers that the 1st Defendant and 2nd Defendant have injured the image of the Plaintiff and brought his hard-won reputation into hatred, ridicule, odium, discredit, contempt, opprobrium and reproach and as such right-thinking members of the society question the integrity of the Plaintiff especially as a Member of Parliament.”
He is seeking a declaration that his reputation has been injured by reason of the false, malicious, unjustifiable and reckless defamatory statement uttered by the 1st Defendant and further published by Oman 107.1 FM, promoted and sponsored by the 2nd Defendant.
He is also seeking an order court directed at the Defendants to publish an unqualified retraction and an apology on Oman 107.1 FM with the same prominence the defamatory words received within 7 days after the judgment.
He is further seeking an order of the court for perpetual injunction restraining the Defendants, their agents, assigns and servants from further publishing any defamatory words against the Plaintiff.
Aside from the Ghc 2 million damages requested, he wants the court to grant an order for cost including lawyer’s fees and other order or orders as to this Honourable Court may deem fit in the circumstances.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com
