SML has sued Manasseh Azure Awuni defaming it in his ‘The President Ghana Never Got’ publication
Renowned investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has been sued by Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) over claims made in his book, ‘The President Ghana Never Got’, regarding the company.
SML accuses Manasseh of publishing defamatory content, particularly in Chapter 28, titled “The Mother of All Scandals”.
In a writ of summons filed at the High Court of General Jurisdiction, which has been sighted by GhanaWeb, SML asserts that the journalist misrepresented facts with the deliberate intent to tarnish its reputation.
“The Plaintiff avers that, notwithstanding the pending defamation suit, the Defendant, in Chapter 28 of his book The President Ghana Never Got, discusses the Plaintiff’s contract with the Government of Ghana (GoG) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in a chapter titled ‘The Mother of All Scandals’. The Plaintiff says that in Chapter 28, the Defendant makes several non-factual statements that tarnish the Plaintiff’s reputation and have caused right-thinking members of society to shun the Plaintiff.”
SML further states that Manasseh characterized its contract with the GoG and GRA as “the biggest scam,” a “shady deal,” and referred to it as “the SML scandal.”
Additionally, the journalist allegedly described statements and projections made by SML regarding its contracts as “falsehoods” and “a lie” and labeled the agreement “needless” and “redundant.”
The company contends that these allegations severely damaged its reputation, leading to public backlash and the loss of potential contracts in Tanzania, Kenya, and Ivory Coast.
Claims SML is seeking from the Court:
• GH¢1,000,000 in general damages for defamation.
• GH¢20,000,000 in exemplary damages for what it describes as malicious reporting.
• A perpetual injunction restraining Manasseh from publishing further defamatory statements about the company.
• A public retraction and apology for Chapter 28 of his book.
• Any other reliefs the court deems fit.
Read the full court document below:
BAI/MA
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