Kyebi, Eastern Region -- THE Kyebi District Magistrate court has ordered Boakye Yiadom Kotopre of the Ghana Telecommunications (GT) Company at New Tafo in the East Akim District to pay ?20 million as compensation to the District Chief Executive (DCE) of East Akyem, Mr Victor Asihene, for spreading false information about him.
The court also ordered Kotopre, to write a letter of apology to the DCE and to all the media houses that published the false information retracting the story within three days from the day of the judgement.
The court presided over by Mr Charles Nimako, further granted a perpetual injunction restraining Kotopre and his agents from calling any radio station in the region including Adom FM in Tema, with the view to broadcast libellous materials about the DCE.
In a statement of claim, plaintiff said Kotopre, without any just, cause wrote a letter, dated March 17, 2003 to the Presiding Member of the East Akyem District Assembly to the effect that Mr Asihene, since the inauguration of the assembly in October 2001, had not called an assembly meeting.
The letter according to the plaintiff, further said that the DCE had single-handedly started awarding contracts based on his own judgement and mentioned the New Tafo market as an example.
The DCE, the letter further stated, had awarded a ?60 million contract to a relative without prior approval of the assembly.
The letter, which was read over the airwaves, also described DCE as authoritative, arrogant and one who practise bad work ethics, and that 20 people recently died of cholera at Old Tafo owing to his negligence, and called for an immediate investigations into the issue.
The Plaintiff also averred that by the letter Kotopre meant that he (plaintiff) was incompetent, corrupt, inhuman, abused his office and in a conflict of interest for which reason he should be removed from office.
He also prayed the court to order Kotopre to compensate him with ?50 million and a perpetual injunction restraining him and his agents from further causing the airing of such malicious letter on FM stations.
Before judgement, the defendant, in his plea, admitted writing the said letter and asked the DCE and the court to forgive him.
He said he did not write the letter with any malicious intent. His counsel, Mr Kweku Obeng also asked the DCE to forgive and accept him like the Biblical prodigal son since the respondant has realised his mistake and is preapired to retract the publication.
Awarding the compensation, Mr Nimako said the court took into consideration the defendant’s admission of liability for such defamatory and malicious letter.
