Ibrahim Mahama Files GHS10 Million Defamation Suit Against Bright Simons

Ghanaian businessman Ibrahim Mahama has dragged the Vice President of IMANI Ghana, Bright Simons, to court, demanding GHC10 million in damages in a defamation suit.

Together with his company, Engineers & Planners, they allege that Bright made “false and malicious” publications on his website and in other newspapers titled “Ghana Provides a Lesson in How Not to Nationalise a Gold Mine”.

The said publication alleged that the plaintiffs are responsible for the Government of Ghana’s decision not to renew Gold Fields’ mining lease for the Damang mine, adding that they had “undermined Gold Fields’ ability to secure a renewal for its lease”.

It also alleged that Mr. Mahama was leveraging his familial relationship with President John Dramani Mahama to obtain unfair business advantage and engage in unethical business practices.

According to the writ, these statements are naturally and ordinarily understood by right-thinking members of society and diminish the creditworthiness of the company.

“The plaintiffs state that the statements published were defamatory and were authored with malice and with the sole intent of reducing the plaintiffs in the estimation of all right-thinking members of society.”

Accordingly, the plaintiffs posit that the publication had soiled their hard-earned reputation.

Below are their demands:

a. A declaration that the statements made by the defendant, which have been particularized in paragraphs 14(a) and (b) of the statement of claim, are defamatory of the plaintiffs;

b. An order directed at the defendant to publish on the same platforms that he published the defamatory words, as well as a full page of the Daily Graphic newspaper, on six consecutive occasions over a 3-month period, an unqualified retraction and an apology to the plaintiffs;

c. An order for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his agents, assigns, and servants from further publishing any defamatory words against the plaintiffs;

d. General damages of Ten Million Ghana Cedis (GHS10,000,000.00) for defamation;

e. Costs, including legal fees; and

f. Any other order(s) as this Honourable Court may deem fit.

Source: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/.com/Hajara Fuseini