The National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, has been ordered to pay GH¢500,000 damages to the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, by the General Jurisdiction High Court (12) in Accra.
This comes after the court, which was presided over by Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah, ruled in favour of the minister on a defamation suit he filed in 2019 against Sammy Gyamfi.
Dr. Opoku Prempah, when he was the education minister, sued the NDC communicator for alleging that one of the suspects arrested in connection with the kidnapping of two Canadian girls in Kumasi, Seidu Mba, was his (Dr. Prempah’s) errand boy.
The energy minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia North, asked that the court awards him GH¢1,000,000 in damages against Gyamfi.
“A declaration that the words complained of and published by the defendant and contained in paragraph 14 herein are defamatory of the Plaintiff’s character.
“An order of the honourable court directed at the defendant to publish an unqualified retraction and an apology with the same prominence of the defamatory words received within seven days after the judgment.
“An order of the honourable court for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his agents, assigns, servants and any person claiming authority from the defendant from further making/or publishing any defamatory words against the Plaintiff.
“The sum of One million Ghana Cedis (GHS1,000,000) in damages for the defamation,” a declaration statement by the energy minister read.
During the hearing on Thursday (October 13, 2022), Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah ruled that Sammy Gyamfi, by his comments, defamed Dr. Opoku Prempeh, asaaseradio.com reports.
In addition to the GH¢500,000, the judge ordered Sammy Gyamfi to apologise and retract the defamatory statement he made with the same prominence the defamatory words received within seven days after the judgment.
He also ordered the NDC National Communicator not to make or publish defamatory words against the energy minister.
