The Supreme Court has upheld a previous ruling by the High Court and rejected investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s application for certiorari against Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.
The five-member panel, led by Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, upheld the High Court’s decision from six years ago.
At that time, the High Court dismissed a GHC25 million defamation lawsuit brought by Anas Aremeyaw Anas against Kennedy Agyapong and imposed a cost of GHC50,000 on the journalist.
Anas had alleged that the lawmaker defamed him, leading to legal proceedings initiated in 2018. In a majority decision on Wednesday, February 28, the Supreme Court dismissed the case.
Despite the request from Kennedy Agyapong’s lawyer for costs to be awarded against Anas, the Supreme Court declined to do so.
The judge overseeing the defamation lawsuit brought by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas against Member of Parliament Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has characterized Anas as “a blackmailer who employs blackmail to extract money from his adversaries and individuals he holds animosity towards.”
Speaking about Anas’ work as an investigative journalist, the judge added that “What the plaintiff is doing is not investigative journalism but investigative terrorism”.
“From the above, I hold that the plaintiff is a blackmailer who uses blackmail to extort money from his opponents and people he does not like.
“What the plaintiff is doing is not investigative journalism but investigative terrorism,” the presiding judge, who awarded cost of GH¢50,000 against Anas said.