[ 2016-08-09 ]

GFA Chief Kwesi Nyantakyi

Nyantakyi sues two journalists for defamation
Ghana FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi has slapped two
sports presenters Patrick Osei- Agyemang and Kofi
Asare Brako as well as their media outfit
Multimedia Group Limited with a gargantuan
defamation lawsuit.

The GFA boss is suing the two controversial
figures nicknamed 'Countryman Songo' and 'Abatay'
respectively and their media outfit for $2m in the
defamation and libel lawsuit after 'years of
consistent lies and calculated negative
campaigns'.

This comes just two weeks after three journalists
were jailed in Ghana to threatening some judges in
the country on their radio station Montie FM.

The two presenters and Multimedia Group Limited,
the holding company of Asempa FM, have been served
with the comprehensive lawsuit.

The presenters and their media company are
required by the court to file their witness
statements by the end of the month after Nyantakyi
produced over 100 recordings of lies calculated to
defame him and the football federation.

The recording dates back from 2012 until 2014
when Abatay was a presenter at Asempa FM before
switching to Atinka FM. As such the two presenters
are being held to account over their claims on
Asempa FM against Nyantakyi.

The radio station and its parent company have
also been accused of giving an unfettered platform
to damage the reputation of Nyantakyi - as some
its other Twi language stations toe a similar
line.

The lawsuit claims false reports about Nyantakyi
were "broadcasted by Asempa FM throughout the
world" via the internet and has severely damaged
his reputation good name.

Led by one of Ghana's best legal brains Teddy
Sory, lawyers for Nyantakyi are seeking punitive
damages for libellous statements calculated at
damaging his reputation in the eyes of the
public.

Ghana's leading football official says Asempa FM
and its reporters damaged his reputation and he is
seeking Eight Million GhC8m ($2m) in the suit.

The lawsuit comes two weeks after the country was
rocked with the jailing of three journalists but
the legal experts say the action of Nyantakyi is
'long overdue' because of the consistency and
ferociousness of attacks on his personality.

Two years ago Ghana FA announced a public boycott
of Asempa FM for the 'consistent lies calculated
to demonize the federation in the eyes of
Ghanaians with false and one-sided reports'.

Delegations were sent to the federation to beg
the leaders to renounce the boycott but reversing
of the decision only escalated attacks on the
GFA.

The lawsuit, filled at the Fast Track court in
Accra, said the reports on Nyantakyi by the radio
station were "false and malicious" and he is armed
with over 100 recordings of the programmes which
have been marked as slanderous.

Nyantakyi said their claims have caused him
"humiliation" and "distress" and that he "has been
subjected to unfathomable amounts of ridicule and
public scorn".

The legal challenge has got wide implications for
Asempa FM as Nyantakyi holds international
positions on Swiss-based organisation FIFA, CAF
and he is also the leader of the West Africa
Football Union (WAFU).

Despite complaints to the owners and manager of
the radio the attacks went on unabated as it
reached its apex on 11th November 2014 when Brako
called Nyantakyi 'a thief' and 'has defrauded
Ghanaians for far loo long'.

Under Ghanaian law, damaging someone's reputation
with false information is a crime that can carry a
huge fine which was recently witnessed between a
newspaper and a high-ranking official of the
ruling government.

Songo's Fire for Fire programme has mainly been
modelled on Nyantakyi who has been the subject of
discussion on his sports show for the past five
years.

The CAF Executive Committee member wants an end
to the bad-mouthing and unprofessional conduct of
the above-mentioned journalists to end.

Songo was arrested by police in Ghana some months
ago for the possession of narcotic drugs before
his show.

This lends to the widespread suspicion that his
foul-mouthed presentation on the radio show is
drug-fuelled.

Source - GHANAsoccernet.com

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