attorneys representing the claimant in Johnson’s GH¢20 million defamation lawsuit Despite informing the court that he is not medically able to present his defense, the defendant has been accused of appearing in public by Asiedu Nketiah, the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Professor Dua Agyeman, the plaintiff and a former Auditor-General, filed a lawsuit against Mr. Nketiah on the grounds that Prof. Agyeman produced fraudulent audit reports, which led to his termination from the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana.

On Wednesday, when the case was called, Nana Banyin Ackon, who was holding Gary Nimako Marfo’s plaintiff brief, informed the court that Mr. Nketiah, who had informed the court that he was ill and had been granted a medical excuse duty, had been seen on party campaign grounds multiple times.

With the words, “We believe that at this stage, enough is enough,” he pleaded for an order to be given to Mr. Nketiah so that he can mount the box and testify at the next postponed date.

Proof
Samuel Codjoe’s attorney, Tonny Nyarko Acheampong, represented Mr. Nketiah and stated that, in contrast to what the plaintiff’s attorney had informed the court, Mr. Nketiah had not appeared anywhere. He further stated that the plaintiff’s attorney had not provided any evidence to back up his claim.

“The court’s sole responsibility is to administer justice, and it does so impartially and without regard to the arguments made by the parties involved. He addressed the court, which was presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, “If they said they saw him, the proper thing to have done is to provide evidence before this court.”

Following hearing arguments from both parties, the court made no further rulings. Kojo Thompson’s attorneys, who are scheduled to appear on behalf of Mr. Nketiah, have not yet received personal service.

The matter will now proceed on October 8, 2024.

Context
The claim made by Mr. Asiedu Nketiah, according to Prof. Dua Agyeman, is baseless and aimed primarily at tarnishing his reputation among well-meaning members of the public and his integrity.

The plaintiff claims that on October 2, 2018, the defendant made several baseless and derogatory remarks on Neat FM, a radio station in Accra, accusing him of creating fictitious audit accounts in 1983 while he was employed by the Audit Service.

According to reports, he stated that the Institute of Chartered Accountants (Ghana) barred the plaintiff from auditing in 1983 for creating “fake” accounts for a company that didn’t exist. The plaintiff was prohibited from working as a private auditor.

Due to the defendant’s remarks, the former Auditor General filed a lawsuit against him, claiming that the remarks had damaged his hard-earned reputation and drawn attention from the media both domestically and internationally.

Requested relief
In light of this, Prof. Dua Agyeman is pleading with the court to rule that the defendant’s statement on Neat FM, according to which he was banned by the Institute of Chartered Accountants (Ghana) for fabricating audited financial statements for a company that does not exist, is slanderous and defamatory of him and was made without any justification or reasonable basis.

The plaintiff is requesting a declaration that the defendant’s publication on Neat FM, which claimed that “Dua Agyeman concocted fake audit reports concerning some senior officers which led to their dismissal from public service,” is defamatory and slanderous against them, and that it was done so without providing any justification or reasonable explanation.

Prof. Dua Agyeman is requesting a further declaration stating that the defendant defamed him and was dishonest in his publication on Neat FM, claiming he was fired from the Audit Service for dishonesty, without providing any proof of a justifiable or fair explanation.

He requests that the court issue an order of prohibition prohibiting the defendant, his assignee, agents, and privies from publishing any more defamatory statements against him.

It is also being requested that the defendant issue an unequivocal apology on Neat FM and in four publications in the Daily Graphic, as well as retract the aforementioned defamatory publication.

The defendant is also being sued for general damages and compensatory damages totaling GH¢20 million for reputational harm.