The Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr says he is happy he chose to defend his integrity in a court of competent jurisdiction when he thought the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Mr Kennedy Agyapong had defamed him.
In a reaction to the Accra High Court ruling Friday morning [June 26, 2020], which gave him victory over Mr Agyapong in a defamatory case, Mr Baako said: “I am happy I chose to vindicate my integrity in the appropriate forum, a court of law and not on radio, television or social media, which is also an available option in a democratic space.”
“There is no oxygen of life for ugly noises and allegations, borne out of allegations in a court of law. There, facts and evidence speak, not ugly noises and malicious allegations…,” Mr Baako said in a statement he sent to Kwame Sefa Kayi, which was read on radio – Peace FM’s Kookrokoo morning programme after the court case Friday morning.
Mr Baako expressed appreciation to the people who stood with him in the “20 or so months of the litigation. May Allah bless them all, long live Ghana,” he said.
Mr Baako on Friday morning won his defamatory suit against businessman and Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Mr Kennedy Agyapong.
Mr Kennedy Agyapong had used words Mr Baako deemed were defamatory against him and in addition to that, Mr Agyapong had dared Baako to pursue a lawsuit against him.
On Friday morning – June 26, 2020 – the Accra High Court came out with its verdict and ruled in favour of Mr Baako.
The court has consequently given Mr Kennedy Agyapong 30 days to retract and apologise three times on the platforms he used to defame Kweku Baako.
The damage was set at GH¢100,000 with the cost of GH¢30,000 against him.
Baako sued the Member of Parliament for Assin Central for defamation in October 2018.
Kweku Baako sought reliefs which included general damages in the sum of GH¢25million against Mr Agyapong.
In his statement of claim, Kweku Baako stated that, on July 18, 2018, and on several occasions thereafter, Mr Agyapong published several statements against him on Oman FM, Net 2 TV, Adom FM and Asempa FM which were defamatory.
According to him, on certain occasions when the hosts of the programmes on which he made those defamatory comments against him asked him to retract or provide facts to back the claims he [Agyapong] failed to do so.
According to Kweku Baako, Mr Agyapong’s assertions have affected his image and reputation in the eyes of “right-thinking” members of the society.
He, therefore, asked the court to order Mr Agyapong to retract his comments and render an unqualified apology to him.
He also asked the court to place a perpetual injunction to restrain Mr Agyapong, his agents, assigns and servants from further publishing any defamatory words against him.
