The Supreme Court of Ghana has declined to quash the ruling made by the High Court Judge in a recent development regarding the defamation case between Investigative Journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Member of Parliament Hon. Kennedy Agyapong
IMANI Africa Vice President Bright Simon wonders how a majority of Judges on a Supreme Court panel expressed the view that the Judge who presided over the defamation case could have conceivably determined Anas guilty of the crimes alleged against him. The case involved a litany of defamatory expressions made by Agyapong against Anas, including accusations of criminal activity and corruption.
Anas had petitioned the Supreme Court to quash the ruling of the High Court Judge, citing bias due to the Judge's inability to verify all the alleged crimes during the defamation case itself. However, the Supreme Court Judges were divided in their opinions. Two Judges, Kulendi and Tanko, agreed with Anas, while three others disagreed.
The dissenting Judges argued that there was no evidence of bias since the High Court Judge cited the evidence that led him to believe Anas was guilty of the crimes alleged by Hon. Agyapong. They suggested that if Anas disagreed with the ruling, he should appeal the decision.
The ruling provided by the High Court outlined a list of accusations made by Agyapong against Anas, including claims of criminal behavior, corruption, and dishonesty.
Here is a list of the accusations made by Hon. Kennedy Agyapong against investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas in the defamation case:
- The plaintiff is a self-confessed criminal.
- The plaintiff is a murderer and killed a former Member of Parliament, Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu.
- The plaintiff is an abettor of the murder of several Chinese nationals.
- The plaintiff is an evil and dishonest person.
- The plaintiff is a thief.
- The plaintiff is suffering from mental derangement.
- The plaintiff cheated his way through law school.
- The plaintiff promotes illegal mining.
- The plaintiff is a fraudster.
- The plaintiff is an extortionist.
- The plaintiff is a blackmailer.
- The plaintiff is corrupt.
- The plaintiff corrupts public officials.
- The plaintiff engages in tax evasion.
- The plaintiff engages in custom duty evasion.
- The plaintiff takes bribes to influence the outcome of his investigative journalistic work.
- The plaintiff impersonates as a lawyer.
- The plaintiff engages in criminal assault.
- The plaintiff engages in threats of death.
- The plaintiff engages in threats of harm.
- The plaintiff is a landguard.
- The plaintiff engages in illegal land grabbing.
- The plaintiff interferes with the administration of justice.
- The plaintiff is an odious and contemptible person.
- The plaintiff is a cheat.
- The plaintiff molests children.
- The plaintiff inordinately discredits foreign powers.
- The plaintiff terrorizes people.
- The plaintiff engages in fraudulent acts and extortion with his father.
- The plaintiff engages in fraudulent acts and extortion with his lawyer.
- The plaintiff is an email and messages hacker.