We'll go back to court if Ken Agyapong renders half-hearted apology - Kweku Baako hints

Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr says he will resort to another legal battle with Assin Central MP, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, should the latter fail to retract and apologize for defaming him as directed by the court.

Kweku Baako stated emphatically that his legal team are furnishing him with a roadmap to check Mr. Agyapong's compliance with the court ruling on their defamation case.

Baako Floors Akumpreko

An Accra High Court last week awarded damages against Hon. Kennedy Agyapong in a defamation suit filed by the Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr.

The Court gave the Assin Central MP 30 days to retract and apologize three times on the platforms he made his defamatory statements against the seasoned journalist.

Kweku Baako sought reliefs including general damages to the tune of GH?25million against Mr Agyapong but the court awarded a sum of Ghc 100,000 and Ghc 30,000 as cost of legal expenses.

Background

The seasoned journalist, on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, sued the NPP Member of Parliament for Assin Central for defamation after the latter accused him and investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas of being involved in illegal mining and other criminal activities.

Kweku Baako sought to redeem himself in the court of law and therefore filed a suit at the Accra High Court seeking reliefs in the sum of GH?25million against the Assin Central MP.

In his statement of claim, Mr. Baako stated that, on July 18, 2018, and on several occasions thereafter, Mr Agyapong published several defamatory statements against him on Oman FM, Net 2 TV, Adom FM and Asempa FM.

According to him, on certain occasions when the hosts of the programmes on which he made those defamatory comments against him asked him to retract or provide facts to back his claims, he (Agyapong) failed to do so.

He further noted that Mr Agyapong’s assertions have affected his image and reputation in the eyes of “right-thinking” members of the society and therefore prayed the court to order the Parliamentarian to retract his comments and render an unqualified apology to him.

He also asked the court to place a perpetual injunction restraining Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, his agents, assigns and servants from making further defamatory remarks against him.

Contempt Suit

Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' on Wednesday, Kweku Baako emphasized that he has his monitoring device on Kennedy Agyapong and will be evaluating his response following the court ruling.

According to him, any attempt by Mr. Agyapong to render unsatisfactory apology will trigger an application by his legal team for contempt.

"My lawyers will give me a roadmap as to how this will be executed; so we're waiting. We'll be monitoring...We will be monitoring to see [1] if the apology and retraction will be done and [2] the content of it. And then if things don't go right, we will go back to the court with an application for contempt," he stressed.