A United States court docket has ordered former Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, to pay $18 million in damages to investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
The ruling was delivered by the Essex County Superior Court docket following Anas’ authorized motion in opposition to the previous lawmaker in response to feedback he made as a visitor on a tv present.
On September 7, 2021, whereas showing on The Daddy Present, hosted by US-based Ghanaian presenter Federick Asamoah, Agyapong accused Anas of being a “prison” and a “thief.”
The previous MP additionally made critical allegations, suggesting that Anas had a job within the homicide of fellow journalist Ahmed Suale and was concerned within the deaths of Chinese language nationals in Ghana.
Anas, famend for his undercover journalism that exposes corruption, contended that these statements severely broken his fame and endangered his life.
The defamation go well with was filed within the U.S. after Ghana’s Supreme Court docket, in February 2024, rejected an software for certiorari filed in opposition to Mr. Ohene Agyapong.
Anas argued that the accusations had been false and damaging to each his profession and private security.
In his defence, Agyapong claimed that his remarks had been made within the context of a heated political dispute and shouldn’t have been taken actually.
Nonetheless, the U.S. court docket disagreed, ruling in favour of Anas and awarding him a considerable $18 million in damages.
This authorized victory underscores the intense penalties of defamation and the safety of a person’s fame, notably within the age of worldwide media.
