BENNEH vs. NEW TIMES CORPORATION AND ANOTHER [1982]DLHC2100

Date	1982-11-23
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1982]DLHC2100

AMPIAH J.

KOFI GYAMBRAH FOR THE PLAINTIFF.

OBENG-MANU FOR THE DEFENDANTS.

[1982]DLHC2100
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >BENNEH <o:p></o:p>vs. <o:p></o:p>NEW TIMES CORPORATION AND ANOTHER <o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, SEKONDI]<o:p></o:p>[1987-88] GLR 302<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

DATE:
23 NOVEMBER,
1982<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

KOFI GYAMBRAH FOR THE PLAINTIFF. <o:p></o:p>

OBENG-MANU FOR THE DEFENDANTS.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

AMPIAH J.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JUDGMENT OF AMPIAH J.<o:p></o:p>By his
writ of summons, the plaintiff claims from the defendants jointly and severally
¢50,000 damages for defamation. The plaintiff, until the termination of his
appointment on or about 1 November 1979, was the regional manager of the Food
Distribution Corporation at Sunyani in the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The first
defendant-corporation is the printer of the Ghanaian Times newspaper, a daily
Ghanaian publication, and the second defendant is the regional representative
of the first defendant-corporation at Sunyani.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>On 5
April 1979, the first defendant-corporation is said to have published through
its representative, the second defendant, the following statement of and
concerning the plaintiff.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“The
popular Ananse folk tale ‘You do me, I do you’ is being enacted here by
eighteen dismissed workers of the Food Distribution Corporation and the
Brong-Ahafo area manager of the corporation, Mr. K. D. Benneh.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">The
workers had been summarily dismissed, and two others suspended by Mr. Benneh,
for flouting his orders to off-load a consignment of 15 bags of rice, following
Mr. Benneh’s refusal to give them their staff allocation of one polythene bag
of rice each.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">Annoyed,
the workers swore to expose the ‘illicit rice deals’ by Mr. Benneh. They,
therefore reported to the police that he had stolen 15 maxi bags of rice valued
at ¢3,600 belonging to the corporation.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">When
Special Branch men took Mr. Benneh to his hometown, Berekum, last Friday, they
found in his house eleven bags suspected to be part of the allegedly stolen
fifteen bags. Police have so far not found any documents at the corporation’s
offices to show that Mr. Benneh paid for the fifteen bags. They are still
investigating the case.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">Police
sources said, on March 29, the dismissed workers decided not to off-load a
consignment of rice which the regional branch of the corporation received until
they were assured of one polythene bag each as staff rice allocation. But Mr.
Benneh rejected their plea and, in the process dismissed all of them. He also
suspended two others on the same day for flouting his orders. Later, Mr. Benneh
went to town and recruited labourers to off-load the consignment.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">The
dismissed workers, not happy with their plight, laid ambush around the offices
of the corporation and according to them found Mr. Benneh loading the rice onto
a corporation truck after office hours. They then reported the deal to the
Special Branch who arrested Mr. Benneh. The workers are, meanwhile, appealing
to management for re-instatement.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>On 12
April 1979, the first defendant-corporation was once more accused of publishing
the following statement of and concerning the plaintiff.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“Sunyani
police are investigating an alleged diversion of a consignment of twelve
barrels </main>