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General News of Saturday, April 6, 2019
Source: Graphic.com.gh
2019-04-06
Blessed Nana Godsbrain Smart (left) and Solomon K.A. Owusu
Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, sued two people for defamation.
He claims to Solomon K. A. 2 million GH ¢ of general damages. Owusu, a Ghanaian based in the United States of America (USA) and Blessed Nana Godsbrain Smart, aka Captain Smart, a broadcaster of Adom FM, a private radio.
According to the statement accompanying the writ of summons issued by the High Court on Monday, April 1, 2019, Owusu has released defamatory material on social media and other traditional media platforms, which gave the Impression that Professor Frimpong-Boateng was a corrupt. politician who used his office to fuel and profit from illegal mining activities.
Captain Smart was tied to the lawsuit for resuming the defamatory lyrics of his show.
Professor Frimpong-Boateng therefore requests that the statements made by Owusu and repeated by Captain Smart be defamatory and undermine his reputation.
A perpetual injunction prohibiting defendants and their agents from making and / or publishing defamatory statements by the plaintiff on any platform is also sought.
The plaintiff also seeks costs, including legal fees and any other relief or order that the court considers appropriate.
Mr. Emmanuel Bright Atokoh is the plaintiff's attorney.
Restrictive order
In the meantime, the plaintiff filed an ex parte application asking the High Court to prevent Mr. Owusu from leaving the territory until he made a security deposit of 2 million GH ¢.
The motion also requests the court to issue an order for the issuance of a fugitive arrest warrant against Mr. Owusu or to obtain a security right under Order 73 of the 2004 Rules of the High Court (Civil Procedure). (CI 47).
The plaintiff wants the court's decision, once granted, to be notified to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and the Ghana Police Service.
According to an affidavit in support of the ex parte application filed by Ms. Freda Amoako, a lawyer on behalf of Professor Frimpong-Boateng, Mr. Owusu intended to evade jurisdiction upon service of the summons to appear and the statement of claim. him.
"The plaintiff informed me that the intention of the 1st defendant to leave the jurisdiction on Saturday, April 6, 2019 had been revealed at a meeting of the 1st defendant with the plaintiff on Monday, April 1, 2019," affidavit to the support said.
He added that the immediate prosecution of the defendants would be hampered and delayed if the court did not order the issuance of a fugitive warrant to be issued against Mr. Owusu or did not request that security be guaranteed. up to 2 million GH ¢. satisfy any judgment, including costs, that may be made against the defendants in the action.
According to the affidavit in support, the lawsuit against the defendants would be rendered unnecessary if Mr. Owusu could not be found for the purpose of executing the judgment if it was rendered in favor of the applicant.
Declaration
The statement accompanying the writ of summons mentioned between August 2018 and February 2019, Mr. Owusu deliberately and maliciously made and published on the said platform various statements tending to ridicule and harm the reputation of the applicant as a person and as chair of the interdepartmental committee. on illegal mining.
Mr. Owusu had reported that the complainant and his son were greedy and had sabotaged the government's plan to prevent illegal mining in Ghana and that the complainant and his son had been consulting with Chinese and foreign miners to exploit illegal logging. illegal mines in Ghana.
According to the newspaper, while licensed Ghanaian miners have remained unemployed or thrown in jail, illegal Chinese miners have been released.
The complaint stated that the plaintiff would maintain that Mr. Owusu had also made various statements against the plaintiff on a number of occasions, all of which were meant to lower the plaintiff's esteem in the minds of those members of society who thought well, tarnish the plaintiff's reputation and expose it to advertising. ridicule, hatred and scorn.
Public ridicule
The plaintiff submits that Mr Owusu made and published the plaintiff's defamatory statements without any restriction on the part of Captain Smart as administrator of that platform.
He added that the defamatory statements were unfounded and exposed the plaintiff to hatred, ridicule and contempt of the public.
As a result, he asks the court to grant relief.
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