Anas vs Kennedy Agyapong: Full Court Document Unveils What Anas Wanted vs What He Got
- Popular Investigative Journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas won a defamation lawsuit against former Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong
- Following the outcome of the legal battle, court documents containing the plaintiff's statement of claim and his demands have surfaced
- Anas demanded US$30,000,000 an equivalent of GH¢464,918,706 as damages, among other things
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The long-running legal battle between investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, has reached a major turning point following a recent ruling by a court in Essex County, New Jersey.
The court in its ruling awarded $18,000,000 in damages against Kennedy Agyapong, who was the first defendant in the case.
Source: Facebook
Following the ruling, the full court document has surfaced online, detailing what Anas wanted.
Anas sues Kennedy Agyapong for defamation
The lawsuit between Anas Aremeyaw and Kennedy Ohene Agyapong dates back to 2022, according to the document sighted by YEN.com.gh.
Anas sued the former Assin Central MP on five counts of defamation. He claimed the former MP had impugned his reputation by accusing him of killing some Chinese nationals, among other claims broadcasted on some traditional media and social media platforms, which were all false.
Watch the video below:
What Anas demanded Vs what he got
Anas told the court that he felt traumatised by the actions of Mr Agyapong and the second defendant and as a result, demanded a total of US$30,000,000 an equivalent of GH¢464,918,706. Giving a breakdown of this figure, Anas indicated that he wanted:
- An award of presumed damages in the amount of five million US dollars
- An award of special damages in the amount of ten million US dollars
- An award of actual damages in the amount of five million US dollars
- An award of punitive damages in the amount of ten million US dollars
See the post below:
Source: Original
Additionally, he wanted an order restraining Kennedy Agyapong from making the defamatory remarks complained of and the second defendant (the media platform that granted Mr Agyapong’s interview) to delete the posts containing the defamatory remarks.
Source: Getty Images
At the end of the lawsuit, he was granted US$18,000,000, with the breakdown as follows:
- $5 million in presumed damages: Acknowledging the significant impact on Anas’s professional reputation.
- $5 million in actual damages: Providing compensation for direct losses caused by Agyapong’s statements.
- $8 million in punitive damages: Representing nearly half of the total award, underscoring the court’s stance on the severe nature of the defamatory remarks.
Reports by parties close to Mr Agyapong indicate that the case has not ended as Mr Agyapong and his lawyers are getting ready for an appeal.
Anas wears prosthetics to US Court
In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that pictures unveiling the face of Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas have taken over social media.
This comes after the renowned investigative journalist won an $18 million defamation lawsuit against Ghanaian politician Kennedy Agyapong.
However, according to reports, Anas wore prosthetics to court and the picture circulating online was not his true identity.
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Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
Jessie Ola-Morris (Human-Interest Editor) Jessie Ola-Morris is a Human Interest editor at YEN.com.gh. She has over three years of experience in journalism. She graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2022 with a Bachelor's degree in Communication Studies. Her journalism career started with myjoyonline.com, a subsidiary of The Multimedia Group Limited, where she worked as a writer. Jessie also previously served as a multimedia journalist for The Independent Ghana. In 2024, Jessie completed Google News Initiative News Lab courses in Advanced Digital Reporting and Fighting Misinformation. Email: jessie.ola-morris@yen.com.gh
Samuel Gitonga (Copy editor) Samuel Gitonga is a Copy Editor at YEN.com.gh. He holds a Bachelor of Broadcast Journalism Degree from the Multimedia University of Kenya. He has over 7 years’ experience in the digital journalism industry. He started out his career at the Kenya News Agency and proceeded to work for several reputable media outlets in Nairobi.
