Alfred Agbesi Woyome has sued the Editor in Chief of The Enquirer newspaper, Raymond Archer at the High Court, Accra for defamation and exemplary damages of GH�300,000.
Mr. Woyome�s gripe against Archer is that as businessman he has worked hard over the eyars to earn an enviable reputation among his peers, the generality of the Ghanaian public and the international community; which fact is confirmed by his appointment as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) and as Vice Consul of Austria, and therefore diplomat.
He also claims that following the publication complained of, he has received numerous calls from family and party members who without restraint expressed anxiety and anguish regarding the publication.
In a writ issued for and on Mr. Woyome�s behalf by Messrs. Kpatsa and Associates, an Accra based law firm, he seeks the following reliefs against Mr. Archer.
a. A declaration that the publication made of and concerning Plaintiff, the subject matter of the present suit are defamatory of the Plaintiff.
b. Aggravated or exemplary damages against the Defendant jointly and severally for defamation in the sum of Three Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH�300,000).
c. An order of perpetual injunction to restrain the Defendant from further publishing the said words or any other words to the like effect of and concerning the Plaintiff.
d. Cost of prosecuting the said suit on fill indemnity basis.
Per the Statement of Claim accompanying the Writ of Summons, Woyome as Plaintiff describes himself as a Ghanaian and a businessman whilst Raymond Archer as Defendant is described as the Editor-in-Chief of The Enquirer newspaper.
It is the case of Woyome that the newspaper is not only widely circulated in Ghana but is further given wide publicity as a result of review given to the stories the newspaper carries by various broadcast institutions.
Woyome continues that on or about the Wednesday, 21st December, 2011 edition of the newspaper, Archer wrote a story which had its banner headline entitled � PART 1 OF 25, THE REAL ALFRED WOYOME. He continued that in the said publication which is the subject matter of the present suit, Archer insinuated that he (Woyome) stole money from his former employers by stating that �Last year, after he got hold of the scandal cash, Mr. Woyome rushed to Mr. Tony Lithur, currently one of the best legal brains in the country, to refund the cash he stole from his former boss�s company, M-Pawapak, Ghana, in order to avoid prosecution.�
Further, Woyome alleges that Archer in the same issue of the paper, published of him that: �It turned out that Woyome stole the secret recording of President Kufuor and handed them over to the then National Security Minister, Francis Poku, all in his attempt to protect the former President. The theft of the Kufuor tapes and the theft of cash at his former employers led to the close friends of Woyome falling out with him.�
Woyome contends that the said publication was made with his picture prominently displayed on the front page to give the impression to the general public that it is credible.
He also contends that the publications meant and were understood to mean that:
1. That he is corrupt, fraudulent, dishonest and a thief.
2. That he abused his official position as the alternative director for his personal benefit.
3. That he is not a trustworthy person.
Woyome also maintains that the publication is malicious such that Archer did not make any effort to contact him to verify the content of the publication and that he (Woyome) has sued Archer in court concerning the ownership of the Enquirer newspaper.
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