An Accra High Court has found the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) guilty of a defamation suit filed against him by Member of Parliament for Manhyia, Mathew Opoku Prempeh.
The court had held that comments made by Mr Gyamfi that one Seidu Mba who was alleged to have had a hand in the kidnapping of some Canadian girls in Kumasi was “alleged to be the errand boy of Matthew Opoku-Prempeh”.
Subsequent to the comments, Manhyia South MP and now Minister for Energy, Matthew Opoku-Prempeh filed the suit which has now been ruled upon.
After three years of litigation, the court held that the said comment was defamatory and consequently awarded damages of GH500,000.00 and cost of GH50,000.00 against Mr Gyamfi.
Sammy Gyamfi’s reaction to ruling
Following the ruling, Mr Gyamfi took to his Facebook page to react, saying the trial judge had erred in his judgement.
“It is my considered view that the honorable court erred as its decision is contrary to the evidence that was put before the court. More importantly, I hold the view that the court’s decision to totally disregard the testimony of my witness, DW1, Mafus Jibril who testified that the said Seidu Mba was in fact the errand boy of Plaintiff and was in his company when he (DW1) was attacked in Manhyia sometime in 2012, constitutes a grave miscarriage of justice,” he wrote.
He has therefore served notice of his intention to file a notice of appeal and an application for stay of execution to challenge the decision of the High Court forthwith
Below is his full reaction:
Sometime in 2019, a defamation suit was filed against me by Manhyia South MP and now Minister for Energy, Hon. Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, in relation to a comment made at a press conference I addressed on the three kidnapped Canadian girls in Kumasi.
The said press conference was to debunk allegations by some elements in the New Patriotic Party that the said kidnapping incident was masterminded by the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Hon. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo.
The specific comment that constituted the basis for the suit was my assertion that contrary to the above allegation, the ring leader of the kidnappers, one Seidu Mba was “alleged to be the errand boy of Matthew Opoku-Prempeh”.
After three years of litigation, the court today held that the said comment was defamatory and consequently awarded damages of GH500,000.00 and cost of GH50,000.00 against me.
It is my considered view that the honorable court erred as its decision is contrary to the evidence that was put before the court. More importantly, I hold the view that the court’s decision to totally disregard the testimony of my witness, DW1, Mafus Jibril who testified that the said Seidu Mba was in fact the errand boy of Plaintiff and was in his company when he (DW1) was attacked in Manhyia sometime in 2012, constitutes a grave miscarriage of justice .
Consequently, my lawyers will be filing a notice of appeal and an application for stay of execution to challenge the decision of the High Court forthwith. It’s my hope that justice will be served.
I am most grateful to my brother and lawyer Edudzi Kudzo Tameklo, and my learned colleagues, Beatrice Annan Esq., Seth Nyaaba Esq. and Gideon Abotsi Esq. who have been representing me in court on this matter.
It is worthy of note, that this is only the decision of the court of first instance and not final. I am determined to pursue this matter to its logical conclusion.
The struggle continues.
Sammy Gyamfi Esq.