Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul-Malik Kweku Baako has revealed that June 26, 2020, has been set by the Accra High Court for pronouncement of judgment in a defamatory case he filed against Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong.
“…I have a case against Kennedy Agyapong for a year and a half now. The judgement would have ended much earlier…but now the judgement is slated for June 26…,” Kweku Baako told host of Good Morning Ghana, Randy Abbey.
The case which has been in and out of court for over a year, according to Mr Baako has had quite interesting twists in the process, including the fact that the “the lawyer for the defendant (Kennedy Agyapong) did a lot of injustice to their witness.”
Kweku Baako also indicated that in the course of the legal process, the defendants called for an out of court settlement which he agreed to but no tangible consensus could be reached during that period thus, his decision to reject and continue court proceedings.
Kennedy Agyapong will be expected to cough up a whopping amount of GHC25 million as demands by Mr Baako as damages for defamation if he is found on the wrong side of the law.
In a panel discussion on Good Morning Ghana, the veteran journalist said if he could have engaged in a radio and TV banter with Kennedy Agyapong but the issue would not have been resolved because that’s his turf.
“Mr Kennedy Agyapong openly accused me of engaging in ‘galamsey’. He also said Anas and I conspired to blackmail the president and so when Anas went to the president for the Number 12 thing it was only I, Anas and the president, only the three of us and I had a secret camera which I used to film the president…,” Kweku Baako explained.
According to Mr Baako, the viciousness of the character assignation propelled by the Assin Central lawmaker caused him to test the provisions of the law.
In his opinion, partisan personalities who are fond of brutally defaming people must be taken through the full rigours of the law, henceforth.
“All these guys around who make too much noise, attack people…assassinate characters, we must subject them to that drill, we have no other choice. Some of them anticipate that you engage them on that radio and television, that’s endless…yes, that’s their turf. They have their fanatics behind them, you also have your fanatics behind you so it’s your word against my word. Radio and television debates nobody solves any matter there…,” he said.
Assin Central lawmaker in 2018, during the heat of the Number 12 expose and illegal mining debates defamed Kweku Baako on two separate occasions on radio and television.
Mr Baako, therefore, prayed the court to direct Mr Agyapong 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. Other costs including legal fees and any others as this honourable court may deem fit.”
