Lawyer Maurice Ampaw has reacted to the March 15, 2023 Accra High Court ruling that dismissed a defamation suit brought by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas against Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong.
Ampaw, a longtime critic of Anas’ style of journalism said the ruling signaled an end to Anas’ journalism of entrapping and setting people up as well as allowing himself to be used as a hatchet man.
In an interview posted on a YouTube channel, CK Gyamfi, the lawyer explained that the law of Karma had caught up with the journalist who is now facing the kind of agony that he has put people through over the years with his kind of journalism.
“The lesson we learn from Kennedy Agyapong versus Anas is that, tell Anas that whatever has a beginning has an end. The same way he had time to entrap, set up and selectively do a hatchet job to bring people down, his time is up.
“When you did Number 12 and Kennedy showed ‘Who Watches the Watchman,’ why should you go and sue? You had time to work on the judiciary and series of works that crashed lives, livelihoods and people are yet to recover.
“Do you know how people have suffered at your hands, people who never get the opportunity to respond to your one-sided story telling?” he quizzed.
He lamented how Anas unethically recorded judges accusing them among other things of taking goats to skew judgements.
Anas vs. Ken Agyapong defamation case
An Accra High Court on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, struck out a defamation suit brought by investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas against Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.
The plaintiff, filed the case in 2018, seeking among other reliefs monetary damages to the tune of GH¢25 million.
However, the court presided by Justice Eric Baah despite finding various claims made by the defendant against the plaintiff as potentially defamatory, ruled that the comments were factual and fair.
The court subsequently dismissed the suit and awarded the defendant a sum of 50,000 Ghana cedis to cover his legal costs.
The MP has subsequently referred to the ruling as a victory for straight talk over investigative terrorism.
The journalist also expressed grave misgivings about the ruling describing it in part as a travesty of justice. He, has also confirmed that his legal team will file an appeal, stressing that his fight against corruption will continue unabated.
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