A former Chief Executive of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) Kempes Ofosu Ware, has hauled a fellow National Democratic Congress (NDC) member to the High Court of Tema for defamation.
Mr Ofosu Ware, who has unsuccessfully contested the Tema East Constituency seat on the ticket of NDC is demanding a sum of GHc500, 000.00 from his accuser one Andrew Darkwa (Defendant) aka Boutros Andy, an investigative journalist.
He is seeking in his reliefs aggravated damages for the reckless and malicious publication on the said medium on November 20, 2020.
An order for the Defendant, to retract all the defamatory statements and render an unqualified apology to the Plaintiff with the same prominence and circulation, as the publication.
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An order of perpetual injunction, restraining the Defendant from publishing any further defamatory materials about the Plaintiff, as well as cost inclusive of solicitor’s fee assessment at Ghana Bar Association scale of fees.
The suit pending at Tema High Court was filed by the Plaintiff legal team led by Ellis Quashigah of Quashigah and Co (Dzidedi Chambers).
The defamation suit issued on Thursday November 25, 2020, gave the Defendant, Mr Dankwa, eight days to file his response.
The Herald has gathered that the former MCE is outraged over several accusations leveled against him by the Defendant, including claim that Mr Ofosu Ware, has been working against the party and it PC for the Tema East Constituency, Isaac Ashai Odamtten, himself a former MCE for Tema under former President John Mahama.
He stated in one of his write ups on the party’s social media platforms that Kempes hates Mr Odamtten, because he was replaced with the now PC as MCE.
The Defendant who is yet to respond to the summon is alleged to have published his claims on major WhatsAPP platforms namely; Concerned Democrats platform, Akatamansonian platforms, Zongo Caucus platform on the 20th day of November, 2020.
Mr Ofosu Ware a member of the NDC’s Election Directorate, says he has been portrayed as the “key agent” who “orchestrated diabolic plots” to shoot down the chances of the NDC and Mr Odamtten, portraying the Plaintiff as a traitor in the eyes of right thinking Ghanaians.
According to the legal team “Referring to the Plaintiff as a disloyal person who is divisive element in the party and keep threatening people who intend to straighten him also portrays the Plaintiff as an antagonistic, vindictive and not a trustworthy person”.
The former Tema MCE under the late President John Atta Mills, who mentioned a number of claims, said to have been spewed by the Defendant, says that by Mr Dankwa, stating among others that the Plaintiff used to have secret meetings with his political opponents, paints him as a “two face” devilish and dishonest conspirator.
The Plaintiff’s Particulars of defamation in the suit, said that the Defendant also alleged that he Mr Dankwa, had information from the former Parliamentary Candidate’s ex-wife, Emelia Dankwah, who informed him that he want to kill her and her children for money rituals which his lawyers say makes him appear as “Murderer or a killer”.
Mr Dankwa, who is said to have made the various wild allegations on NDC platforms, said “The Plaintiff intentionally take pictures with the current Parliamentary Candidate during a door to door campaign but later used the pictures to raise funds and pockets”.
This, Mr Ofosu Ware’s lawyers, say “Portrays the Plaintiff as a fraudster and extortionist who uses false pretence to defend people.
In the coming days, Quashigah and Co located opposite Fidelity Bank Kokomlemle, will be in court with Boutros Andy at the Tema High Court.
Source: www.theheraldghana.com