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Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate (PC) for the Effutu Constituency of the Central Region of Ghana has knocked off the self-acclaimed Parliamentary Candidate (PC) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of the Effutu Constituency, James Kofi Annan, in a defamatory case at the Winneba District Magistrate Court.

The suit was filed against the embattled Kofi Annan, who previously stood as an Independent Candidate but who now wants to be described as the NDC’s Parliamentary Candidate, by the Plaintiff, Afenyo-Markin, praying the Court to order Defendant, James Kofi Annan to retract and apologize for the defamatory statements he made against the Plaintiff in a press statement issued by the Defendant on March 17th, 2020.

The Court presided over by His Worship, Isaac Oheneba Kuffuor, ordered Kofi Annan, who was the only defendant in the suit, to retract and render an unqualified apology to the Plaintiff, Afenyo-Markin for the defamatory Press Statement issued on March 17th, 2020.

The embattled Kofi Annan, who is also currently standing criminal trial for allegedly and wrongfully misappropriating an amount of GH¢100,000.00 belonging to someone, which money is alleged to have been mistakenly deposited into his accounts and was misappropriated by him, leading to the charges of stealing and unlawful appropriation, has a limited duration to comply with the orders of the Court.

The Court further ordered the defendant to publish the retraction and apology using the same media houses he used for the Press Conference of that same March 17th, 2020.

The Judgment and order of the Court, given on August 28, 2020, read, “IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT the Defendant retracts the defamatory Press Statement issued on the 17th March 2020 and render an apology to the Plaintiff between August 28. 2020 and August 31, 2020.”

The order also said, “IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Defendant publishes the retraction and apology using the same media he used for the Press Conference of 17th March, 2020, including Adom TV, Joy TV, United Television and the Various online media portals, which carried the various defamatory publications.”

The online media outlets were equally ordered to carry the apology and retraction by the Defendant between August 28th, 2020, and Monday, August 31st, 2020.

The Court additionally awarded general damages of GH¢20,000.00 and costs of GH¢5,000.00 against Defendant.

It will be recalled that James Kofi Annan issued a Press Statement and held a Press Conference on same statement on March 17th, 2020, making several allegations against the Member of Parliament for the Effutu Constituency in the Central Region, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, allegations, the Plaintiff said, were untrue and defamatory.