A KUMASI High Court, presided over by His Lordship, Justice George Krofa Addae has dismissed a US$10 million defamation suit brought against Bernard Antwi Boasiako also known as ‘Chairman Wontumi’.
Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, the former Ambassador to the US, in September last year initiated a legal suit against the defendant for defamation claiming against the defendants jointly and severally for punitive and aggravated damages to his global reputation.
The plaintiff claimed that on September 10, 2020 while contributing to a discussion on the second defendant’s Moring show, the first defendant,
who is also the Ashanti Regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) called him (plaintiff) a thief, which allegation had injured his hard won reputation and thus brought his image into hatred, ridicule, odium, discredit and contempt hence the suit for compensation for damages and any other order(s) as the Honourable Court may seem fit.
But the court at the sitting on Thursday stated that upon a serious research the plaintiff’s case failed and dismissed the entire writ.
It noted that the plaintiff invoked the reliefs being sought without substantiating them rendering them a nullity.
The court further indicated that the purported defamatory statement were fair comments and therefore not punishable.
Justice George Krofa Addae, also awarded cost of GHc150,000 to offset the defendant’s expenses and legal fees.
Defence counsel was lawyer Kwame Adom Appiah while Lawyer Nana Ama Doe Badu held brief for Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo Esq., an Accra- based legal practitioner as plaintiff’s counsel.
By Kow Richardson
