Kenndy Agyapong Secures Major Legal Victory as Court Orders Retrial of Kweku Baako Defamation Case
- The Court of Appeal has ordered a retrial in the defamation case Kennedy Agyapong lost against Kweku Baako
- The previous High Court ruling in favour of Baako was from 2020 after he sued the politician for defamation
- The dispute dates back to 2018, when Agyapong accused Baako of being corrupt and a hypocrite, leading to his lawsuit
The Court of Appeal has ordered a retrial in the defamation case between Kennedy Agyapong and the Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr.
The court overturned an earlier High Court judgment in favour of Baako from 2020.
Source: Facebook
In addition to the ruling, Baako has been ordered to refund all monies received after the previous High Court ruling within 30 days.
Videos on Facebook showed the scenes at the court after the order, where Baako and Agyapong were present.
The dispute dates back to 2018, when Baako sued Agyapong for defamation after he was accused of being corrupt and a hypocrite, among others.
According to Baako's suit, Agyapong's defamatory remarks were:
“Look, I have dared Kweku Baako. He is a very corrupt guy. Where is his paper? Kweku Baako is very corrupt; Kweku Baako is very corrupt in his paper. Kweku Baako is not a clean man that President would tolerate in his office anymore. I said I have concluded that Kweku Baako is not clean…He’s a hypocrite… Kweku Baako is not an honest man at all... I said he’s not a saint. Kweku Baako is not a saint. He’s evil… Very evil man… He’s a very evil man."
Speaking to journalists following the ruling, legal counsel for Agyapong welcomed the decision, describing it as consistent with established legal principles.
“The court can turn a blue eye to a red eye, but the Court of Appeal has followed the law from the Supreme Court. I think what they did was in the right direction.”
According to the defence, the Court of Appeal found that the earlier High Court judgment was flawed due to what it described as a statutory breach.
While the specific nature of the breach is expected to be clarified in the full written judgment, the appellate court’s finding was sufficient to nullify the High Court’s decision and pave the way for a fresh hearing.
Other lawsuits against Kennedy Agyapong
In recent years, Agyapong has faced mulitple high-level lawsuits.
investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas sued Agyapong home and abroad after some defamatory remarks.
A mining firm operating in the Western Region, C & G Aleksa Company Limited also dragged the former MP to court for allegedly defaming the firm in September 2018.
The firm is demanding a GHc20 million compensation from Mr. Agyapong for allegedly making some defamatory comments.
A former Chief Executive Officer of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transport (BOST), Kingsley Kwame Awuah-Darko, in 2017 sued Agyapong for defmation after he alleged Awuah-Darko had embezzled state funds.
Ivy Heward-Mills sues Kennedy Agyapong
YEN.com.gh also previously reported that the widow of the slain Abuakua South MP J.B. Danquah-Adu, Ivy Heward-Mills sued Agyapong and eight others for defamation.
He allegedly attempted to discredit journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas by claiming he was romantically involved with the widow of the slain MP.
Agyapong's Kencity Media, as well as Despite Group Limited, Multimedia Group Limited, and the EIB Group, were also named by Heward-Mills.
Source: YEN.com.gh
