My Ruling Exposes Systemic Flaws in Ghanaian Judicial System- Anas
Investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas has opined that Ghana’s judicial system is flawed.
The Tiger Eye PI owner went to court to seek relief after Kennedy Agyapong, a Ghanaian politician, in an interview accused him of being a criminal and thief. He also accused him of murdering Ahmed Suale and several Chinese nationals in Ghana.
These statements were on the back of the airing of the BBC documentary on corruption, “Betraying the Game,” on October 28, 2018.
Anas first went to the Accra High Court but failed to secure a favourable ruling a year ago. His GH¢25 million defamation suit was dismissed by Justice Eric Baah, who went on to label the former a “blackmailer, corrupt, an extortionist, and evil”.
He then proceeded to the Essex County Superior Court, where he sought $5 million in presumed damages, $10 million in special damages, $5 million in actual damages, $10 million in punitive damages, and a restraining order against the defendant.
An eight-member jury on March 17 unanimously found Kennedy liable for defamation, awarding damages of 18 million U.S. dollars.
Juxtaposing the two rulings in the two different jurisdictions, Anas said it accentuated the flaws in the Ghanaian judicial system.
“Regrettably, the situation in Ghana was starkly different. In 2018, when I pursued a similar lawsuit there, justice eluded me. Despite Mr. Agyapong’s own admission of lacking evidence to support his calumnious claims, Justice Eric Baah of the Accra High Court not only denied me justice but also unjustly portrayed me—the civil plaintiff—as a criminal.”
“Such outcomes are a stark reminder of the systemic flaws within our Ghanaian judicial system—flaws that demand urgent reform.”
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
