The Court of Appeal has thrown out the defamation suit brought by Reverend Victor Kusi Boateng, who seeks to prevent Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, from discussing his involvement in the National Cathedral controversy.
This marked Rev. Kusi Boateng’s third attempt to secure an injunction against the MP after two previous rejections.
Rev. Kusi Boateng, also known as Adu Gyamfi, had his earlier applications dismissed by the Human Rights Court last July and a high court decision prior to that. Both courts found insufficient grounds to grant the injunctions he sought.
According to the court on Wednesday, June 26, the grounds of appeal failed to comply with the rules of the Court of appeal, therefore said “the grounds are incompetent and inadmissible” and struck it out.
In this appeal, Rev. Kusi Boateng‘s legal team has introduced additional arguments. On Tuesday, June 25, a new panel was constituted.
However, Thaddeus Sory, representing MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, raised objections to the appeal. He contended that the panel hearing the case is not duly constituted as per constitutional requirements, which he argues compromises his client’s right to a fair trial under Article 13 of the 1992 Constitution.
The Court of Appeal dismissed the objection raised by lawyers for the North Tongu Member of Parliament.
This, according to the court, is because the objection was based on “speculative innuendo.”