Police officer sues Joy FM

A police officer at the Tema Newtown Police Station in the Greater Accra Region, has sued two private radio stations and a television network, for damaging his reputation.

L/Cpl. Ernest Alorli, alias Donkor, has filed a writ against Meridian FM, Joy FM and TV3 Limited, for dragging his name in the mud.

The plaintiff is therefore seeking damages in the sum of GH¢600,000, jointly and severally, against the defendant companies, in addition to cost.

In his statement of claim, the plaintiff indicated that in August this year, the defendant companies broadcast that “one Ernest Alorli alias Donkor, a policeman stationed at Tema Newtown Police Station, had been arrested for supplying assault rifles to armed robbers for their operations.”

According to the plaintiff, the said broadcast attracted a lot of public condemnation, which subsequently impugned his reputation among members of the society.

L/Cpl. Alorli pointed out that the defamatory words carried on the networks of the defendant companies, impute dishonest and treacherous conduct and a dint of criminality, which attracts a very high sentence.

Plaintiff, who pointed out that he had suffered irreparable damage as a result of the actions of the defendant companies, further indicated that he had since the broadcast of the news item, been “shunned and avoided by members of his community, including his good old friends,” adding that the actions of the defendant companies had brought him into public odium.