By Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, Oct. 13, GNA – Mr Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), says his lawyers will file notice of appeal against a court decision, which found him guilty of defamation.
He said his lawyers would also file an application for stay of execution to challenge the decision of the High Court.
He expressed the hope that justice would be served.
An Accra High Court, General Jurisdiction presided over by Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah, found Mr Gyamfi guilty of defamation and awarded damages of GH₵500,000.00 against him.
The Court also awarded a cost of 50,000.00 against Mr Gyamfi and ordered him to publish a retraction and an apology to Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, the Energy Minister, the plaintiff.
After three years of litigation, Mr Gyamfi said it was his considered view that the court erred as its decision was “contrary to the evidence” that was put before it.
“More importantly, I hold the view that the court’s decision to totally disregard the testimony of my first defence witness, Mafus Jibril, who testified that the said Seidu Mba was in fact the errand boy of Plaintiff and was in his company when he (DW1) was attacked in Manhyia sometime in 2012, constitutes a grave miscarriage of justice,” he said.
Mr Gyamfi said it was worthy of note that the decision was only the ruling of the court of first instance and not final.
“I am determined to pursue this matter to its logical conclusion,” he added.
Dr. Opoku Prempeh in June 2019, dragged Mr Gyamfi to court for defamation and had asked the court to fine him GH¢1 million for making defamatory statements about him.
Apart from the huge cash fine, the writ of summons filed on June 25, 2019, by Sarkodie Baffuor Awuah & Partners, lawyers or the plaintiffs asked the court to order Mr Gyamfi to retract and apologise for the defamatory statement within seven days after the judgement.
In the plaintiff’s statement of claim, he averred that Mr Gyamfi had greatly injured his positive image by falsely linking him to one Seidu Yakubu, aka ‘Mba’, an alleged ringleader in the kidnapping of two Canadian girls in Kumasi recently.
The Member of Parliament for Manhyia South said the defendant’s statement had dented his image both in Ghana and abroad, since the said statement was widely captured in the traditional media and other electronic platforms.
The statement said over his entire public and private life, he had led a decent lifestyle worthy of emulation, so Mr Gyamfi had no justification to link him with “miscreants” to dent his image.
According to him, Mr Gyamfi, by his statement, intentionally portrayed him as a person, who supported thuggery, kidnapping and other illegal acts without any proof.
GNA