Outspoken Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong would have to cough up a sum of GHc25 million if found guilty for defamation in a case filed against him by the Editor in Chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr.
Kweku Baako in his suit complained that Mr. Agyapong in July 2018 made some defamatory comments against him on some stations including his own media platforms Net2 TV and Oman FM, and on Adom FM and Asempa FM.
Mr. Baako said the MP accused him of being corrupt, being a hypocrite, dishonest among others.
“Look, I have dared Kweku Baako. He is a very corrupt guy. Where is his paper? Kweku Baako is very corrupt; Kweku Baako is very corrupt in his paper. Kweku Baako is not a clean man that President would tolerate in his office anymore…. I said I have concluded that Kweku Baako is not clean…He’s a hypocrite….. Kweku Baako is not an honest man at all………I said he’s not a saint. Kweku Baako is not a saint. He’s evil…… Very evil man…He’s a very evil man,” Mr. Agyapong said these, according to Kweku Baako’s writ.
Aside from demanding GHc25 million in general damages from the MP, Kweku Baako also wants the court to order Kennedy Agyapong to retract such utterances and render an unqualified apology to him.
“An order of the Court directed at the Defendant to publish on three consecutive occasions, on the same platform that he published the defamatory words, an unqualified retraction and an apology, with the same prominence as given to the issuance of the defamatory words.”
He is also seeking an order of “perpetual injunction restraining Mr. Agyapong, his agents, assigns and servants from further publishing any defamatory words against the him [Kweku Baako].”
Other suits against Kennedy Agyapong
This is the third time Kennedy Agyapong has been sued within the last six months for defamation.
The first one was by investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas who is also demanding from Agyapong an amount of GHc25 million for damages.
Kennedy Agyapong’s application to dismiss Anas’ suit declined
A High Court in Accra on October 11, 2018, declined an application by Kennedy Agyapong seeking to dismiss the GHS 25 million defamation suit against him by Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
The Court also held that the writ filed by Anas does not in any way violate the constitutional rights of Mr. Agyapong as no relevant legal points have been raised to substantiate that claim.
A mining firm operating in the Western Region, C & G Aleksa Company Limited also, in September 2018 dragged the MP to court for allegedly defaming the firm.
The firm is demanding a GHc20 million compensation from Mr. Agyapong for allegedly making some defamatory comments.
Awuah Darko sues Ken Agyapong for defamation
The former Chief Executive Officer of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transport (BOST), Kingsley Kwame Awuah-Darko, in 2017 also sued Kennedy Agyapong for making supposed “defamatory” comments against him.
According to Kwame Awuah-Darko, Kennedy Agyapong, who also owns Oman FM, alleged on the two FM stations that he [Kwame Awuah-Darko] had embezzled state funds and was currently living outside the country.
He said the allegation by Kennedy Agyapong was a deliberate and malicious plan to reduce him in the estimation of all right-thinking members of society as a corrupt and dishonest former public official hence the suit
Privileges Committee recommends Ken Agyapong suspension
The Assin Central MP also has a pending case against him in Parliament after the Privileges Committee of Parliament recommended that he should either be suspended from Parliament or reprimanded for insulting the House.
Mr. Agyapong reportedly described the House as “useless” for having Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu as its Majority leader on Accra-based Net2 TV, which belongs to him.
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Source: Citinewsroom.com/Ghana
