By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Takoradi, March 13, GNA – An Accra High Court has awarded one million Ghana cedis in damages against Nathaniel Dekyi, alias Nana Nyonwah Panyin IV of Dompim Pepesa in the Western Region, and the Multimedia Group Limited.
This was after the court, presided over by Justice Richard Apietu, found the two guilty of defaming the Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah.
The Minister, in October 2022, dragged the two to court over defamation.
The plaintiff (Okyere Darko-Mensah), said on October 10, 2022, the first defendant (Dekyi) granted an interview on the Joy FM Super Morning Show, owned and operated by the second defendant (Multimedia), in which Dekyi made spurious allegations against him.
The Minister said Dekyi refused to retract and apologise for the defamatory statements when prompted to do so, attracting the writ of summons subsequently filed on October 14 by the Minister’s lawyers, Parkwood & Mossane.
Dekyi alleged that Mr Darko-Mensah and two other government officials were involved in illegal mining, otherwise known as “galamsey” in the Dompim Pepesa area of the Western Region.
After the interview, Multimedia published the defamatory material on its website, a portal with massive local and international readership, the Minister said.
“The wild allegations by the first defendant and published by second defendant are absolutely false, baseless and unwarranted,” he said.
Dekyi was also noted to have stated that he had incontrovertible evidence of the involvement of the Minister and the two others in illegal mining at Dompim Pepesa but failed to provide the said evidence.
The Western Regional Minister added that he had, over the years, built for himself an enviable reputation in his private, political and professional life, and that the said publication had greatly dented his image.
GNA