An Accra High Court presided over by His Lordship, Richard Apietu, has awarded damages of GH₵1,000,000.00 against Nathaniel Dekyi alias Nana Nyonwah Panyin IV of Dompim Pepesa in the Western Region and the Multimedia Group Limited.
This was after the court found the two guilty of defaming the Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah in a case of defamation filed by the Minister in October 2022.
Mr. Darko-Mensah in October 2022 dragged the two defendants to court for defamation.
The Minister, wherein the plaintiff noted that on October 10, 2022, the Defendant granted an interview on the Joy FM Super Morning Show, owned, and operated by the 2nd Defendant, in which interview the first Defendant made spurious allegations against his person.
He indicated that the Defendants refused to retract and apologize for the defamatory statements attracting the writ of summons subsequently filed on October 14, 2022, by Parkwood & Mossane, his lawyers.
According to the plaintiff, the first Defendant in the said interview alleged that the Plaintiff, together with two other government officials, were involved in illegal mining or “galamsey” in the Dompim Pepesa area of the Western Region.
The Plaintiff said after the interview, the second Defendant published the defamatory material of the first Defendant on its website, a portal with massive local and international readership.
“The wild allegations by the first Defendant and published by second Defendant, are absolutely false, baseless and unwarranted” the Plaintiff added.
He stated that the first Defendant was also noted to have stated that he had incontrovertible evidence of the involvement of Plaintiff and the others in illegal mining activity in the Dompim Pepesa area but failed to provide the said evidence.
The Western Regional Minister added that he had over the years, built for himself an enviable reputation in his private, political, and professional life, and that the said publication had dented his image.
GNA
