Scandal in Oslo: Ayorkor Botchwey suing Ablakwa, other people; asks for $ 20 million

General News of Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-07-10

Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey sued North Oklahoma's Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, editor of Africawatch magazine, General Media Strategies Inc., for publishing a defamatory article about the recent Embbady from Ghana to Oslo, capital of Norway.

The editor of the magazine, Steve Mallory, who wrote the article, is badociated with the lawsuit.

The magazine accused the Ghanaian government of buying two properties, one for the chancery and the other for the ambbadador's residence, for $ 16.5 million.

The report accused the minister of involvement in "a shameful plot to steal the state" during the negotiations on the project.

Africawatch further accused the minister of inflating "the cost of the building to 16.5 million US dollars."

Okudzeto Ablakwa and the minority in Parliament had made a similar claim several months ago.

In a motion cited by citinewsroom.com, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, through her lawyers, described the publication as "defamatory and unfounded".

It claims in particular a retraction and unreserved excuses on the part of the accused, as well as "compensatory damages amounting to 20 million US dollars for loss of reputation of the accused".

The Foreign Minister also asks the High Court of Accra for an "injunction order directed to defendants, attorneys, rights holders and attorneys to continue to make other defamatory publications on the complainant ".

Unfounded Africawatch magazine report – Presidency

The presidency had previously described the report of Africawatch magazine as unfounded and defamatory.

"The allegations in the publication are unfounded, defamatory and slanderous and contain only fabricated lies. We are aware of the well-known program of this magazine, which is to defame the president by deliberately publishing such false stories about him. The calendar will fail, as it has already done before. "

According to the statement, publishers, publishers and distributors of the publication will be treated in the "appropriate forum".