By Joyce Danso
Accra, Jan. 21, GNA – Manasseh Azure, an Investigative journalist, is to appear before an Accra High Court on January 21 to respond to questions in the defamation lawsuit filed by Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI) against him and three others.
Azure, Edwin Appiah, Sulemana Braimah, and the Media Foundation for West Africa are defendants in a lawsuit stemming from the publication of three articles titled “Darkness in a Lighthouse.”
All four have been found guilty of contempt of court for publishing the articles.
During the last court session, Mr. Kweku Paintsil, lawyer for Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI), questioned Manasseh about why he had concealed a letter he claimed was crucial to his defense.
When asked why he had kept the letter from the court despite relying on it for his defence, Manasseh explained to the court, under Justice Joseph Adu-Owusu Agyemang, that it was simply an oversight.
LCI’s lawyer then requested that the court compel Azure to submit the letter, which was granted.
The court granted the request, and Azure submitted the letter in question.
The defendants argued that they had contacted Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI) about allegations from former pastors of the church before publishing the articles.
The pastors include Larry Odonkor, Emmanuel Oko Mensah, Edward Laryea, Seth Duncan, Edem Amankwah, and Faith Fiakojo.
Manasseh was then questioned about his claim that LCI allegedly mistreated Seth Duncan, one of the former pastors, to the extent that he attempted suicide multiple times, including cutting his scrotum.
LCI’s counsel pointed out that the specific allegation regarding the suicide attempts and its connection to the church were not included in the letter.
The publication stated that Seth Duncan sought treatment at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital after cutting his scrotum.
When asked whether, as an investigative journalist, he had requested a medical report from either Seth Duncan or the Bolgatanga Hospital to verify such a significant claim, Azure responded that Seth Duncan did not have many documents or receipts.
Azure explained that the incident had occurred a long time ago, which was why he did not request proof from the hospital.
He also stated that, based on his journalistic experience, health institutions generally do not release third-party information.
Mr. Paintsil pressed Azure further, asking, “You claim you are an investigative journalist and were desirous of publishing the truth of a story you had been told but you could not tell the storyteller to procure the evidence from the hospital before you published?
Azure replied that he had “no reason to doubt that Seth Duncan had gone through what he said he went through.”
LCI’s counsel then asked Azure if he had a scrotum, to which he confirmed, “Yes.”
Next, he was asked whether Seth Duncan had specified which part of the scrotum he had cut, and Azure answered, “No.”
Counsel then questioned Manasseh, pointing out that it was clear that “by the time of the publication, you never confronted Seth Duncan with the specifics of the allegation.”
Azure responded, stating that he did address it, but explained that “journalists are trained to be very sensitive when interviewing or reporting on people who have suffered psychological or emotional trauma.”
Mr. Paintsil countered, suggesting that when working on a story involving alleged traumatic experiences, “it is only the interest of the alleged victim that weighs on your mind and not the image of the alleged perpetrator.”
Azure disagreed, saying, “It is not so.”
Marcel Aboagye, a witness for LCI, had previously told the court that the defendants intentionally chose not to present the letter, despite it being a key part of their defense, because they knew that large portions of the publications were unrelated to the letter.
Azure was represented by his lawyer, Mr. Samson Lardi Anyenini.
GNA