Ken Ofori-Atta and Captain Smart
Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has a filed a GH¢10 million suit against broadcast journalist, Blessed Godsbrain Smart (Captain Smart), the host of Maakye with Captain Smart on Onua TV and Onua FM, for defamatory claims regarding Ghana’s $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout.
A suit filed before an Accra High Court avers that Captain Smart during one of his shows on May 22, 2023, had claimed that Finance Minister had taken 10% cut from the IMF extended credit facility secured by Ghana for a period of three years.
The suit also avers that Captain Smart further indicated that the plaintiff takes 10% cut from every loan that government secures.
“Are you aware that Ken Ofori-Atta has taken his 10% of the IMF money? Every loan we take, he takes 10%,” are the words complained of by the suit.
The defamation suit was filed pursuant to Captain Smart’s failure to retract and apologise for the statement per a letter dated May 29, 2023.
The suit, filed by Bright Okyere Adjekum, counsel for Mr. Ofori-Ata, argues that the words complained of are not only palpably false and absolutely fabricated, but were also deliberately calculated to disparage the plaintiff.
“Those words are malicious and were clearly further intended to convey and would be understood to convey meanings that diminish the plaintiff in the minds of right-thinking members of society.”
“The statement of claims indicated that the said words, set out in their natural and ordinary meaning, meant and were understood to mean that Mr. Ofori-Atta is corrupt and that he has diverted public funds and has also abused his office.
“By reason of the foregoing, Plaintiff has been greatly injured in his credit, character and reputation, and has been brought into public scandal, ridicule, distress and embarrassment and has thereby suffered damage,” the statement of case avers.
The suit is therefore seeking a declaration by the court that the words by Captain Smart are defamatory of Mr. Ofori-Atta.
It’s also seeking GH¢10 million as “general damages, including aggravated and/or exemplary damages for defamation, for the libel uttered by defendant”.
Mr. Ofori-Atta is also demanding an apology for and retraction of the words complained of and a “perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, whether by himself, his servants, agents or assigns, from repeating similar or other defamatory words against the plaintiff,” as well as costs.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak