DR. MATTHEW OPOKU PREMPEH vs. SAMUEL GYAMFI [2022]DLHC12019

Date	2022-10-13
Suit No.	SUIT NO.GJ/1510/2019
Citation No.	[2022]DLHC12019

HIS LORDSHIP CHARLES GYAMFI DANQUAH J.

NANA AGYEI BAFFOUR AWUAH ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF

GODWIN KUDZO TAMEKLO ESQ. FOR THE DEFENDANT

[2022]DLHC12019
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >DR.
MATTHEW OPOKU PREMPEH<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; SAMUEL GYAMFI&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

SUIT NO.GJ/1510/2019&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DATE:
13TH&nbsp;&nbsp;OCTOBER 2022<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>NANA AGYEI BAFFOUR
AWUAH ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF, <o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;line-height:normal;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">GODWIN KUDZO TAMEKLO ESQ.
FOR THE DEFENDANT <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>HIS LORDSHIP CHARLES
GYAMFI DANQUAH J.<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: black; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;INTRODUCTION <o:p></o:p>I begin this delivery with a saying from Bill Gates, “that
success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t
lose.”<o:p></o:p>The Plaintiff, with the following accolades, achievements, work
experience and laurels as a member of Parliament for the Manhyia South Constituency
in the Ashanti Region of the Republic of Ghana, Minister for Education of the
Republic of Ghana, Member&nbsp; of various
Standing Committees including Health, Appointments, Special Budget and
Environment, Science, Technology, Innovation Committees, a Medical Doctor in
the Republic of Ghana and the United Kingdom, was an active member of the Royal
College of Physicians&nbsp; and Surgeons of
the United&nbsp; Kingdom, an alumnus&nbsp; of&nbsp; the
Prestigious Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA has brought
the present defamation action against the Defendant, a lawyer and the Communications
Officer of the National Democratic Congress Party.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In his amended writ of summons and amended statement of
claim filed on 16th July, 2019 the Plaintiff claimed the following
reliefs against the Defendant;<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:
-18.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
A
declaration that the words complained of and published by the Defendant and
contained in paragraph 14, herein, are defamatory of the Plaintiff’s character.
<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:
.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;
text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
An
order of the Honourable Court directed at the Defendant to publish an
unqualified retraction and an apology with the same prominence the defamatory
words received within 7 days after the judgment. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:
.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;
text-indent:-18.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">3.