Kennedy Agyapong Thrown Out! …Over Anas Mask

An Accra High Court yesterday dismissed an application by Kennedy Ohene Agyapong seeking to dismiss the ȼ25 million defamation suit against him by Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

The Court in its ruling held that the writ filed by the investigative journalist, Aremeyaw Anas does not in any way violate the constitutional rights of the NPP’s Assin Central MP, Mr. Agyapong as no relevant legal points have been raised to substantiate that claim.

The General Jurisdiction Court Judge, Justice Daniel Mensah, also booted out Mr. Agyapong’s claim that Anas’ wearing of a mask and the concealment of his identity breached his constitutional rights under article 33 of the Constitution.

Mr. Agyapong had filed an application seeking to dismiss Anas’ law suit on the basis that the writ was incompetent; that it did not disclose Anas’ address, that even the address provided by Anas was not his address and that he did not live there and finally that the writ breached his constitutional right as a person.

The ace investigative journalist filed the suit against the MP after the latter in an attempt to stop Anas from airing the documentary “Number 12,” which detailed corruption in Ghana football, made allegations of tax evasion, invasion of privacy, blackmail.

Mr. Agyapong in a series of media commentary demanded that Anas must not air the video.

Unsatisfied with what Anas viewed as a dent on his reputation, Anas on June 8, this year, proceeded to court with a defamation suit, to give Mr. Agyapong the opportunity to prove the claims and allegations he has made against him.

Apart from the damages of ¢25 million, Anas Aremeyaw Anas is also demanding costs, including lawyers’ fees.

In the writ, lawyers of the investigative journalist claimed that Mr. Agyapong reportedly made comments after Anas announced plans to show his latest investigative piece, No. 12.

The legislator alleged that Anas was corrupt and does not have the moral authority to label others as corrupt.

Anas, in the statement of claims, averred that Mr Agyapong, on an Accra-based TV station, Adom TV on May 29, 2018, called him a blackmailer, extortionist and evil.

“I am going to justify my claims. I will justify today and dare him to come out and I will bring all the pictures.

“I will prove to the whole Ghana that the boy is also corrupt and evil for the things he has done – bringing institutions that have been built over the years down for him to be rich. I am going to show all the pictures,” Mr Agyapong alleged on the TV programme.

The suit said that Mr. Agyapong repeated the similar defamatory statements about Anas on May 31, 2018 during a radio programme on Oman FM.

“I did not know him personally until I conducted the investigations, and I received his pictures and the things he does in Dubai. With what I know now, I think Anas is not a truthful person to investigate anybody in this country.

“He says he is a crusader of what? Integrity? He should tell us when he goes to grab Ga lands, then follows up because judges fear him, then he is fighting it for old women when he is done then he takes half…he is a land guard,” Mr Agyapong reportedly said.

It said that “Mr Agyapong’s comments portray the plaintiff as a self-confessed criminal who engages in murder, stealing, defrauding by false pretenses, corruption, corruption of public officials, extortion, assault, abetment of assault, threat of harm and threat of death, tax evasion, customs duty evasion, forgery, impersonation as a lawyer, bribery, land grabbing and interference with administration of justice.”

By: Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson