Ayorkor Botchwey continues Africawatch Magazine

General News of Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh

2019-07-09

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey sued General Media Strategies Inc., editor of Africawatch magazine, for defamation.

Mr. Steve Mallory, the editor of the magazine, had published an article on the purchase of a foreign mission in Oslo, Norway, in which he alleged that the minister had conspired with others. people to steal Ghana.

The article, published in June 2019, was titled "Ghana Exclusive: The Story of Scandalous Oslo Plot, Ayorkor Botchwey's Lies Exposed, Nana Akufo Addo's Defense Flat".

The story was that Steve Mallory had gone to the Norwegian capital, Oslo, to investigate the Foreign Ministry's failed attempt to buy two properties for the newly opened Ghana Embbady at a price of $ 16.5 million. of dollars.

Gary Nimako Mafo, a plaintiff, lamented the article, saying the publication was defamatory, as the author failed to establish the evidence of the crime it was undergoing.

She added that the defamatory magazine publication written by Mallory had elicited several comments and that media attention in Ghana and abroad was apparently aimed at tarnishing her image.

According to the plaintiff, reading the full article does not show in what "I've conspired to steal the state, it's a crime charge and that this is defamatory" .

The legislator stated that she had never been sentenced for a crime in Ghana or elsewhere during her political career and that the article sought to undermine her hard-earned reputation in the eyes of members of the company who thought well.

She baderted that the entire article was filled with factual inaccuracies and clearly described the defendant's malicious intent.

In the meantime, the court granted an ex parte application asking the defendant to be notified of the writ in the United States of America.

In accordance with the court order, defendants are expected to file their response within 14 days.

The question of the government's decision to acquire two properties in Oslo, Norway, one for the Chancery and the other for the Ambbadador's residence, came to the fore a few months ago.

It is recalled that the issue has provoked heated debate both in Parliament and in the media, leading to a virtual confrontation between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a prominent member of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.