Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh
The Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi says he will be challenging a defamation judgement of the High Court that went against him.
According to him, he will immediately file a notice of appeal and an application for stay of execution to challenge the decision of the Court.
Sammy Gyamfi was sued by the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh aka Napo, for alleging that one of the suspects arrested in connection with the kidnapping of some two Canadian girls in Kumasi, Seidu Mba, was the minister’s errand boy.
He made the allegation when Dr. Opoku Prempeh was the Minister of Education.
However, after several years of hearing at the General Jurisdiction High Court (12) in Accra, Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah on Thursday, October 13, 2022, ruled against Sammy Gyamfi.
The court ordered Sammy Gyamfi to pay GH¢500,000 in damages to the complainant, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh.
But in a quick response on Facebook after the ruling, Sammy Gyamfi mentioned that he disagreed with the decision, believing that the court erred in its decision.
“After three years of litigation, the court today held that the said comment was defamatory and consequently awarded damages of GHC500,000 and cost of GHC50,000 against me.
“It is my considered view that the honorable court erred as its decision is contrary to the evidence that was put before the court. More importantly, I hold the view that the court’s decision to totally disregard the testimony of my witness, DW1, Mafus Jibril who testified that the said Seidu Mba was in fact the errand boy of Plaintiff and was in his company when he (DW1) was attacked in Manhyia sometime in 2012, constitutes a grave miscarriage of justice,” he wrote.
He continued that he will take up the case in a higher court, hopeful that he will be served justice, saying further that “Consequently, my lawyers will be filing a notice of appeal and an application for stay of execution to challenge the decision of the High Court forthwith. It’s my hope that justice will be served.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Energy, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, issued a statement to express his happiness about the outcome of the case.
“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,” the statement said.
By Vincent Kubi