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An Accra High Court has awarded damages against Hon. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Assin Central Constituency MP in a suit filed by Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr.

According to the High Court, the Assin Central MP has been given 30 days to retract and apologies three times on the platforms he made those defamatory statements against Mr. Kweku Baako.

Kweku Baako who was seeking reliefs including general damages in the sum of GH₵25million against Mr Agyapong was awarded a sum of Ghc 100,000 and Ghc 30,000 as cost of legal expenses by the High Court.

Peace FM's 'kokrokoo' programme morning show host, Kwami Sefa Kayi announced on his show, Friday morning.

More details soon . . . 

Background of Gh₵25m defamation suit

The Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr sued the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, for defamation.

Kweku Baako is seeking reliefs including general damages in the sum of GH₵25million against Mr Agyapong.

In his statement of claim, Kweku Baako states that, on July 18, 2018 and on several occasions thereafter, Mr Agyapong published several statements against him on Oman FM, Net 2 TV, Adom FM and Asempa FM which are defamatory.

According to him, on certain occasions when the hosts of the programmes on which he made those defamatory comments against him asked him to retract or provide facts to back the claims he [Agyapong] made failed to do so.

According to Kweku Baako, Mr Agyapong’s assertions have affected his image and reputation in the eyes of “right-thinking” members of the society.

He is, therefore, asking the court to order Mr Agyapong to retract his comments and render an unqualified apology to him.

He is also asking the court to place a perpetual injunction restraining Mr Agyapong, his agents, assigns and servants from further publishing any defamatory words against him.

Kweku Baako filed the suit at the Accra High Court on Tuesday October 16, 2018.

Accept my terms or forget it

Veteran Journalist, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Junior insisted businessman Kennedy Agyapong either agrees to his terms of settlement or forget an out of court settlement as proposed by his lawyers.

“Unless my terms are accepted it is as simple as that. The basic point is retract and apologize publicly. The key point is retraction and apology otherwise let the courts determine,” he said on Metro TV in an interview last year.

Lawyers of Mr. Kennedy Agyapong had prayed to an Accra High Court for an out of court settlement in a defamation suit according to Mr. Kweku Baako who said this was not the first time.

“There have been attempts to do an out of court settlement at their initiative. Money is not the problem but I have already gone in the dock and given my testimony he came on to do his but it was truncated because the judge adjourned. There were other businesses she wanted to deal with but when we came back the next court day, they had come with an initiative seeking for an out of court settlement,” he revealed.