Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) has filed a lawsuit against renowned investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, alleging defamation over claims made in his book, The President Ghana Never Got.
The company contends that statements made in Chapter 28, titled “The Mother of All Scandals,” are defamatory and were deliberately crafted to damage its reputation.
According to a writ of summons filed at the High Court of General Jurisdiction and seen by GhanaWeb, SML accuses Manasseh of misrepresenting facts related to its contract with the Government of Ghana (GoG) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
“The Plaintiff avers that, notwithstanding the pending defamation suit, the Defendant, in Chapter 28 of his book, 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,” the court document reads.
SML claims that Manasseh referred to its agreement with the government as “the biggest scam” and labeled the deal as “shady” while branding the entire situation “the SML scandal.”
The journalist is also alleged to have dismissed the company’s statements and projections as “falsehoods” and “a lie”, while describing the agreement as “needless” and “redundant.”
The company argues that these statements have caused significant reputational harm, leading to public disapproval and the loss of potential business deals in countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, and Ivory Coast.
SML is seeking several remedies from the court, including:
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 to prevent Manasseh from making further defamatory claims about the company.
A public retraction and apology specifically for statements made in Chapter 28 of his book.
The former Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Dr. Tony Aubynn, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Paul Adom-Otchere, host of Good Evening Ghana. The suit, filed on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, also names Ignite Media Group as the second defendant.
Dr. Aubynn, who currently serves as the Abakoma-Akyempimhene of the Damang-Wassa Division within the Wassa Fiase Traditional Area in the Western Region, alleges that remarks made by Mr. Adom-Otchere on his show were defamatory and intended to tarnish his reputation among “right-thinking members of society.”
The plaintiff is seeking a High Court order in Accra to compel Mr. Adom-Otchere to issue a “retraction and an unqualified apology” using the same media platforms where the alleged defamatory statements were made.
Additionally, Dr. Aubynn is requesting a perpetual injunction to prevent the defendants and their associates from making further similar publications. He is also demanding general damages of GH¢30 million for the harm caused to his reputation, as well as punitive and exemplary damages of GH¢10 million.
According to the plaintiff, the remarks portrayed him as “a dishonest, selfish, hypocritical, unpatriotic, corrupt, dishonorable, unscrupulous member of society who has the habit of inciting illegal miners to act in a manner as to destroy the environment.” These statements, he contends, “in their true and natural sense, have exposed the Plaintiff to public ridicule and contempt in the eyes of right-thinking members of society.”
In his statement of claim, Dr. Aubynn highlighted several particulars of malice, stating that:
“The Defendants deliberately published the said defamatory statements and caused same to be widely circulated and distributed, knowing very well that same were false and/or with no honest belief in the truthfulness of the claims, to whip up negative public sentiments against the Plaintiff.”
“The Defendants deliberately, maliciously, and/or recklessly published the said impugned publications on the said show without considering the extent to which making such untruths can go to harm the reputation of the Plaintiff.”
“The 1st Defendant actually lied confidently and repeatedly that the statements made by the said ‘second speaker’ were made by the Plaintiff, in order to achieve his objective of defaming the Plaintiff.”
Dr. Aubynn further stated that the defendants “failed, neglected, and/or deliberately refused or failed to contact the Plaintiff directly to clear all or any doubts about whether or not the Plaintiff was in fact the second speaker or made the statements ascribed to him.”
The lawsuit, which underscores the plaintiff’s claims of malicious intent and disregard for journalistic standards, seeks to hold the defendants accountable for the alleged damage caused to his reputation.
In two distinct legal actions, former NPP Chairman Freddie Blay and his son, Kwame Blay, have filed defamation lawsuits against Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, accusing him of falsely linking them to the alleged theft of state property.
Kwame Blay’s lawsuit targets only the North Tongu MP, whereas Freddie Blay’s suit includes Media General and Johnnie Hughes as additional defendants.
First Lawsuit: Kwame Blay stresses that he is separate from his brother, Kwaw, and has no involvement with the Polo Beach Club or related entities.
He firmly states that he has never interacted with Loic Devos Jnr, who is currently in a legal battle with one of Kwaw’s businesses, Press Xpress.
Kwame asserts that Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s claims of his involvement in land theft and a scheme against Loic are completely unfounded and have severely harmed his business and reputation.
Kwame questions why a lawmaker would publicly mediate a private dispute and create public disfavor for one party.
Second Lawsuit:
Freddie Blay contends that Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s actions were malicious, considering the timing near elections, with the intent to damage his well-established reputation.
He maintains that the claims made about his sons and family are entirely false.
Freddie further alleges that Media General and Johnnie Hughes disseminated false information aimed at harming his reputation.
He emphasizes that Johnnie Hughes, on his show “Johnnie’s Bite,” amplified Ablakwa’s accusations, presenting them as facts and causing additional damage to his reputation.
Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah has taken legal action against The Law Platform and its Lead Editor, Jonathan Owusu Asare, over a defamatory publication.
The online article, dated May 7, 2024, alleged that the Minister and his wife were taken to court for purportedly engaging in ‘land grabbing’ with the aid of state security personnel.
The publication claimed that the Minister for Transport and his wife, Mrs. Wilhemina Asiamah, were scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, May 9, 2024, for unlawfully entering and trespassing on land situated at the prime Tse Addo residential enclave.
The plaintiff has refuted these accusations and demanded a retraction and apology within a specified time-frame. Despite this request, the portal failed to comply.
Consequently, the plaintiff has filed a defamation lawsuit, alleging that the defendant portrayed him as a criminal who abuses his office.
The lawsuit seeks to address the damage caused by the alleged false and malicious statements made by The Law Platform and its Lead Editor.
“The Plaintiff says that the said publication of the Defendant on his website, The Law Platform, is defamatory of the Plaintiff’s hard-earned reputation as a public servant with several years of service.
“The Plaintiff avers that in terms of the comments made by the Defendant, pleaded in Paragraph 7 above, the Defendant meant and was understood to mean that the Plaintiff is a criminal, taking forcefully what does not belong to him and the abusing his office as a public officer.”
Kwaku Ofori Asiamah is seeking compensatory damages and requesting the publication of a retraction and apology, among other remedies. These actions aim to rectify the harm caused by the defamatory publication and restore his reputation.
“An order directed at the Defendant to retract the said defamatory statement made about the Plaintiff and published on The Law Platform online portal.”
“An order directed at the Defendant to publish an apology to the Plaintiff in the following manner; i. By making three (3) publications of the apology on The Law Platform online portal ii. By making one publication in a national daily newspaper,” an excerpt of his summons said.
Donald Trump might go to a court in New York and might have to speak as part of his defence in a trial where a writer, E Jean Carroll, is suing him for saying something bad about her.
In an earlier trial, a group of people decided that Carroll was hurt by Trump in the 1990s, but now she’s suing him for things he said when he was president.
A judge said Trump’s words were mean, and now the jury will decide how much money he has to give. Carroll wants $10 million because she says Trump’s comments hurt her reputation and caused a lot of death threats.
Trump says he did nothing wrong. There are several legal problems happening with Trump while he is trying to become the Republican presidential candidate.
He will be in New Hampshire tonight before the primary on Tuesday.
An Accra High Court has ordered Blessed Godsbrain Smart (aka Captain Smart), the host and presenter of Maakye on Onua TV and Onua FM, to pay a cost of GHC 5,000 for failing to file a defense within the stipulated time in the defamation suit filed against him by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
On Thursday, July 27, 2023, lawyers representing Ofori-Atta appeared in court to pursue their motion for judgment in default of defense. However, they were informed that Captain Smart’s defense team had filed their statement of defense at 8:54 am on the same day.
As a result, Ofori-Atta’s lawyers withdrew their motion for judgment in default of defense and requested a cost. The court awarded a cost of GHC 5,000.00 against Captain Smart and ruled that the GHC 10 million defamation suit should proceed as usual.
In his statement of defense, Captain Smart denies the accusation of defamation made against him by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta. He also asserts that Mr. Ofori-Atta is not entitled to the reliefs he is seeking from the court.
On June 2, 2023, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Attafiled a GHC 10 million defamation lawsuit against Blessed Godsbrain Smart (aka Captain Smart), the host and presenter of Maakye with Captain Smart on Onua TV and Onua FM. The lawsuit was in response to defamatory claims made by Captain Smart concerning the recently approved International Monetary Fund $3 billion extended credit facility secured by Ghana for a three-year period.
In the writ submitted by Bright Okyere Adjekum, the lawyer representing Ken Ofori-Atta, it is stated that on May 22, 2023, during the course of the Maakye with Captain Smart program, the defendant, Blessed Godsbrain Smart, broadcasted and published the following defamatory words about the plaintiff on Onua TV and Onua FM, as well as on the internet: “Are you aware that Ken Ofori Atta has taken his 10% of the IMF money? Every loan we take, he takes 10%.”
“The above statements are not only palpably false [and] absolutely fabricated, but were also deliberately calculated to disparage the plaintiff. Those words are malicious and were clearly further intended to convey and would be understood to convey meanings that diminish the plaintiff in the minds of right-thinking members of society,” the statement of case filed by Ofori-Atta’s lawyer read.
“The said words, set out in their natural and ordinary meaning, meant and were understood to mean, inter alia, that the plaintiff is corrupt, that the plaintiff has diverted public funds and that the plaintiff has abused his office.
“By reason of the foregoing, Plaintiff has been greatly injured in his credit, character and reputation, and has been brought into public scandal, ridicule, distress and embarrassment and has thereby suffered damage,” the statement of case further read.
Ofori-Atta’s lawyer also said that by a letter dated 29 May 2023, they wrote to Blessed Godsbrain Smart (also known as Captain Smart) demanding an apology and retraction of the defamatory statements, but the defendant failed as well as refused to do so.
Reliefs sought
The plaintiff is praying the court for five reliefs. First, Ken Ofori-Atta is praying for “a declaration that the words uttered by the defendant, ‘Are you aware that Ken Ofori Atta has taken his 10% of the IMF money? Every loan we take he [Ken Ofori-Atta] takes 10%’ are defamatory of the plaintiff” (Ofori-Atta).
Second, “recovery of the sum of ten million Ghana cedis (GHC10,000,000) as general damages, including aggravated and/or exemplary damages for defamation, for the libel uttered by defendant”.
Third, Ofori-Atta is demanding “an apology for and retraction of the words complained of and particularized” and, fourth, a “perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, whether by himself, his servants, agents or assigns, from repeating similar or other defamatory words against the plaintiff”. Ofori-Atta’s last prayer is for the court to award costs against Captain Smart.
IMF support
On 1 July 2022 the government made known to Ghanaians its decision to engage the IMF for support to mitigate the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine on Ghana’s economy.
From the date of the decision to go to the IMF, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been at the forefront of Ghana’s negotiations with the Fund.
The Ofori-Atta-led negotiating team secured a staff-level agreement with the IMF on 12 December 2022 and obtained board-level approval on 17 May 2023.
Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta has instituted legal action against radio and TV show host Captain Smart for recent comments that the minister was a direct beneficiary of recently released bailout funds from a global lender.
In a High Court writ dated Friday, June 2, 2023 and sighted by GhanaWeb, the minister’s lawyer holds that comments by Captain Smart on his Onua Maakye programme late last month were defamatory.
He is seeking GH¢10 million in damages.
The court papers noted that on 22 May 2023, in the course of Captain Smart’s programme, the defendant used the following defamatory claims: “Are you aware that Ken Ofori Atta has taken his 10% of the IMF money? Every loan we take, he takes 10%.”
“The above statements are not only palpably false [and] absolutely fabricated, but were also deliberately calculated to disparage the plaintiff. Those words are malicious and were clearly further intended to convey and would be understood to convey meanings that diminish the plaintiff in the minds of right-thinking members of society,” the statement of case filed by Ofori-Atta’s lawyer read.
“The said words, set out in their natural and ordinary meaning, meant and were understood to mean, inter alia, that the plaintiff is corrupt, that the plaintiff has diverted public funds and that the plaintiff has abused his office.
“By reason of the foregoing, Plaintiff has been greatly injured in his credit, character and reputation, and has been brought into public scandal, ridicule, distress and embarrassment and has thereby suffered damage,” the statement of case further read.
Reliefs
Ken Ofori-Atta is praying for “a declaration that the words uttered by the defendant, ‘Are you aware that Ken Ofori Atta has taken his 10% of the IMF money? Every loan we take he [Ken Ofori-Atta] takes 10%’ are defamatory of the plaintiff” (Ofori-Atta).
Second, “recovery of the sum of ten million Ghana cedis (GHC10,000,000) as general damages, including aggravated and/or exemplary damages for defamation, for the libel uttered by defendant”.
Third, Ofori-Atta is demanding “an apology for and retraction of the words complained of and particularised.”
Fourth, a “perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, whether by himself, his servants, agents or assigns, from repeating similar or other defamatory words against the plaintiff”.
Final prayer is for the court to award costs against Captain Smart.
Fox News has settled a defamation lawsuit from the voting machine company, Dominion, over its reporting of the 2020 presidential election.
In a last-minute settlement before trial, the network agreed to pay $787.5m (£634m) – about half of the $1.6bn initially sought by Dominion.
Dominion argued its business was harmed by Fox spreading false claims the vote had been rigged against Donald Trump.
The deal spares Fox executives such as Rupert Murdoch from having to testify.
The judge in the case is not required to give his approval for the agreement.
Fox said Tuesday’s settlement in one of the most anticipated defamation trials in recent US history reflected its “commitment to the highest journalistic standards”.
The Fox statement added without elaborating that the network “acknowledges the court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false”.
Dominion chief executive John Poulos told a press conference the deal included Fox “admitting to telling lies, causing enormous damage to my company”.
Justin Nelson, a Dominion attorney, told reporters that “the truth matters”.
“Lies have consequences,” he added. “Over two years ago a torrent of lies swept Dominion and election officials across America into an alternative universe of conspiracy theories, causing grievous harm to Dominion and the country.”
Mr Nelson added that for “democracy to endure”, Americans must “share a commitment to facts”.
Opening arguments in the case had been due to start on Tuesday afternoon.
The announcement of a settlement came after an unexplained delay of several hours once jury selection had finished, prompting speculation that talks were under way behind the scenes.
On Monday, Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis announced that the start of the trial would be delayed by 24 hours.
Although he gave no reason, US media reported that it was to give both sides an opportunity to reach a settlement.
On Tuesday morning, however, both sides appeared to be digging in for a lengthy trial.
Attorneys for Fox had repeatedly objected to the $1.6bn in damages sought by Colorado-based Dominion, characterising the figure as massively inflated.
The “real cost” of the case, Fox had argued, would be the “cherished” rights to freedom of speech and of the press enshrined in the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Dominion’s lawsuit argued that the conservative network had sullied the electronic voting company’s reputation by airing falsehoods about the 2020 vote being stolen from former President Trump.
Mr Trump attacked the voting machine company after the ballot, falsely claiming that it rigged the election to favour winner Joe Biden.
The lawsuit said that the false claims were partly an effort to win over viewers who were angered by Fox’s decision on election night to – correctly – declare that Mr Trump’s then-challenger, Joe Biden, had won the crucial state of Arizona.
Two of the Fox executives responsible for the Arizona decision lost their jobs two months later.
Legal findings released ahead of the trial suggested that a number of Fox executives and journalists privately questioned and dismissed conspiracy claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, but still put them on air.Media caption,
‘Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion’ – CEO
Court documents show that Mr Murdoch referred to the claims about Dominion as “really crazy”, but failed to take any action.
In one series of text messages, top-rated host Tucker Carlson said some of the claims were “insane”. Another host, Sean Hannity, said privately he did not believe them “for one second”.
Fox has said the words were taken out of context.
Ahead of the trial, Judge Davis ruled that the claims against Dominion had already been proven false, emphasising that the falsehoods were “crystal clear”.
Despite the mammoth pay-out, some legal experts believe the settlement was overall a positive outcome for the network.
Syracuse University professor and First Amendment expert Roy Gutterman said: “Looking down the line at a six-week trial, this was going to be gruelling for everyone involved and likely embarrassing for Fox.
“But a verdict against Fox could have been even costlier, and had serious implications on subsequent rulings on the actual malice standard and the First Amendment itself.”
Had the defamation trial gone ahead, jurors would have been tasked with determining whether Fox News acted with “actual malice” by broadcasting claims it knew to be false.
Civil litigation attorney Michelle Simpson Tuegel told the BBC that the settlement “speaks to the massive threat Fox saw from this litigation”.
“The reputational harm of having executives, including chairman Rupert Murdoch, and hosts take the stand seems to have moved the parties towards a resolution,” Ms Tuegel added.
Fox still faces a second, similar defamation lawsuit from another election technology firm, Smartmatic, which is seeking $2.7bn.
Dominion still has litigation pending against two conservative news networks, OAN and Newsmax.
The company has also sued Trump allies such as Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Mike Lindell.
Member of Parliament for Asawase Constituency, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, has noted that he will not rescind his decision to sue some National Democratic Congress (NDC) branch executives in his constituency until they withdraw their libelous allegations.
The allegations made against him claimed that he owned 15 shops in the newly-built Asawase Market.
Mr. Muntaka has filed a defamation suit demanding GH¢10 million in damages against the 11 branch executives involved in publishing and circulating the allegations.
Former President John Dramani Mahama visited the Constituency on Saturday, March 18, to begin his three-day campaign for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential Primary.
During the rally, Mr. Mahama urged all warring factions to reconcile and seek peace.
Following the rally, Mr. Muntaka told TV3 that he would not withdraw his lawsuit despite calls for peace.
He said the issues must be addressed to prevent any future issues during the NDC and New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary contest.
“Obviously, if they want that, they will have to retract what they said because you cannot make those kinds of allegations,” he said.
“Remember, beyond the primaries we have a contest with the NPP and if I don’t fight it now and they start to quote my own people, what do I have to say?”
Despite efforts made by national executives to resolve the issue, some executives have put resources together to pick nomination forms for a rival candidate, Mubarak Masawudu.
Actor Adams Kehinde, commonly known as Lege Miami, is the target of a lawsuit for 50 million euros filed by comedian Mr. Macaroni.
This was disclosed by the latter in a since-deleted Instagram post in which he made the letter available to the public.
The actor who was accused of making defamatory and derogatory comments about the comedian informed Falana and Falana’s chambers, who issued the lawsuit, that he is friends with Mr. Macaroni and believes the comedian did not mean his statements.
In the video, he expressed his admiration for Mr. Falana and promised to pay him a visit. He also urged Mr. Falana not to worry about his disagreements with Mr. Macaroni, as they were friends and would resolve their issues behind closed doors.
In the video, he expressed his admiration for Mr. Falana and promised to pay him a visit. He also urged Mr. Falana not to worry about his disagreements with Mr. Macaroni, as they were friends and would resolve their issues behind closed doors.
A Nigerian student who was arrested for allegedly accusing the first lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari, of squandering public funds in a tweet has had all charges against him dropped.
Aminu Adamu was charged by the government with spreading “false” information and defamation, which he vigorously rejected.
The prosecution withdrew the accusation at a high court in Abuja on Friday, according to his attorney Chijioke Kingsley Agu, who spoke to the BBC.
Mr Agu said his client has been discharged on “compassionate grounds” and that they were “in the process of his release” on Friday evening.
The 24-year-old undergraduate’s detention and subsequent charge had caused outcry in Nigeria, with many social media users and advocates for human rights demanding his immediate release.
On Thursday Amnesty International said the student was subjected to “torture” and other forms of “ill-treatment” after his arrest, calling it a “deeply repressive act” that “brazenly violates his human rights”.
Nigerian authorities have not yet commented on these allegations.
He is studying Environmental Management at the Federal University in Dutse, in the northern state of Jigawa, and is due to start his final exams on Monday.
The High Court in Accra presided over by Justice Eric Baah has fixed February 16, next year, (2023), to deliver judgement in the case in which Ace Investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas has sued Kennedy Agyepong for defamation.
The Assin Central Member of Parliament (MP) is facing a GHc25M sum from Anas over some comments he (MP) had allegedly made against the investigative journalist in public after airing his investigative piece #Number 12, which exposed some rots in Ghana Football.
Justice Eric Baah, a Justice of the Court of Appeal who is sitting with additional responsibility as a High Court judge, fixed the date after the parties had ended their testimonies.
EIB Network’s Legal Affairs Correspondent Murtala Inusah reports that the lawyers have been directed to file their written addresses by December 6, 2022, and they would be back in 2023 for judgement.
Background
Sometime in 2018, the ace international investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas dragged the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, to court for defaming him.
Anas was asking the High Court to award aggravated damages to the tune of GH¢25 million arising from defamatory materials published by the MP.
He said the MP had been publishing materials in his bid to discredit the investigative journalist, who has released an explosive piece on the rot in Ghana football.
Displeased with the MP’s actions, Anas has, through his lawyer, Mr Kissi Agyebeng, sued Mr Agyapong for the award of general damages for defamation in the defendant’s publications.
A journalist, Mr Listowell Yesu Bukarson, has been granted the lawful attorney to stand in for Anas.
Publications
The publication complained of are May 29, 2018 live programme in Twi on Adom TV, where Mr Agyapong categorically stated that Anas was a blackmailer, corrupt, an extortionist and evil.
According to the statement of claim, the defendant, in a similar manner, published defamatory words on May 31, 2018 via Oman FM, a private radio station owned by the defendant.
The statement of claim also stated that the defendant published more defamatory materials against the plaintiff via other platforms to the extent of releasing pictures purported to be those of the investigative journalist in his bid to blow the latter’s cover.
Donald Trump has sued cable TV network CNN, claiming defamation and seeking punitive damages of $475m, according to a Florida court filing on Monday.
The US cable news station has attempted to smear the former US president “with a series of ever-more scandalous, false, and defamatory labels of ‘racist,’ ‘Russian lackey,’ ‘insurrectionist,’ and ultimately ‘Hitler’,” Trump’s lawyers claimed. The lawsuit has been filed in federal court in Fort Lauderdale.
“Beyond simply highlighting any negative information about the plaintiff and ignoring all positive information about him, CNN has sought to use its massive influence, purportedly as a ‘trusted’ news source, to defame the plaintiff in the minds of its viewers and readers for the purpose of defeating him politically,” the filing states.
Trump claimed that CNN had used its considerable influence as a leading news organization to defeat him politically. CNN declined to comment on the case.
Trump, a Republican, claims in the 29-page lawsuit that CNN had a long track record of criticizing him but had ramped up its attacks in recent months because the network feared that he would run again for president in 2024.
“As a part of its concerted effort to tilt the political balance to the left, CNN has tried to taint the plaintiff,” the suit said.
The lawsuit lists several instances in which CNN appeared to compare Trump to Hitler, including a January 2022 special report by host Fareed Zakaria that included footage of the 20th-century German dictator.
Trump, who in 2020 lost a re-election effort to Democrat Joe Biden, has not said officially whether he would seek re-election, though has dropped many such hints.
The lawsuit comes as the 76-year-old former president faces considerable legal woes, including a criminal investigation by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) for retaining government records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving office in January 2021.
Trump was sued last month by the New York state attorney general, Leticia James, who has accused him of lying to banks and insurers about the value of his assets.
And a congressional committee and the DoJ are separately investigating last year’s January 6 assault on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.
He is also being sued by writer E Jean Carroll in a case involving alleged rape.
