Deputy Finance Minister sues Kwaku Baako Jr.

A Deputy Minister for Finance has sued the editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide, Kwaku Baako Jnr, the newspaper and a journalist for associating her with the demolition of a building at Roman Ridge in October last year.

According to Abena Osei-Asare, a story on the demolition was published under the headline ‘Dubai Embassy demolishing spree, Minister and husband fingered.’

The information available indicates that when the newspaper first broke the same story on October 18, 2021, an attempt was made to associate the former President, John Dramani Mahama, with the said demolition.

This was through allegations that the Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly demolished the property because the land belongs to the former president.

The newspaper allegedly published the same story again on April 4, 2022.

According to sources, as far back as October 2021, journalist Frank Amponsah met with the lawyer for the Deputy Finance Minister, who is the spouse and was given full access to all the court documents and facts relating to the case, which started in the year 2002 and had judgment given in 2015.

The land in question was the subject of a judgment of the High Court granted in 2015 in favour of the owner, Frank Nuamah, against three persons, namely Adjei Darko, Francis Don Lartey and Alhaji Adams.

The plaintiff, Frank Nuamah, was put in possession of the property when the court went into execution in May 2016.

An attempt by one of the defendants in the case, Alhaji Adams, to have the judgment set aside was shot down by the High Court in a judgment by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe (Mrs.) on November 2020.

Subsequently, the demolition was done by the owner, who has been in possession of the property since May 2016 and has no relation to the Deputy Minister.

By her writ, Mrs Osei-Asare is asking for damages for defamation and a retraction and apology from the publishers.

In the documents sighted by JoyNews, the Deputy Finance Minister said the publication seeks to portray her as a lawless person who is unfit to hold public office.

She argues that her reputation has been “seriously injured by these statements” and her image lowered in the eyes of right thinking members of the society, hence the lawsuit.