- Ofori-Atta sues Hopeson Adorye and Media General for GHC10m.
- Adorye linked Ofori-Atta to a document called "Agyapadeɛ" on Onua TV.
- Ofori-Atta denies involvement and claims defamation.
- Suit seeks damages, apology, and injunction.
Daniel Marfo Ofori-Atta, secretary to the Okyenhene and stool secretary of the Ofori Panin Stool, has filed a GHC10 million defamation suit against Hopeson Adorye and Media General, operators of TV3 and Onua TV. The suit follows comments made by Hopeson Adorye on Onua TV on July 26, 2024, where he allegedly made defamatory statements about Ofori-Atta and the Ofori Panin Stool.
Adorye claimed to know the authors of a document called “Agyapadeɛ” and stated that Ofori-Atta co-authored the document, which allegedly contains claims about galamsey companies and royalties. Ofori-Atta denies any involvement in the document and claims that Adorye’s comments were defamatory, implying that he and the Ofori Panin Stool are corrupt and anti-nationalist.
The statement of claim, filed by Bright Okyere-Agyekum, lawyer for Ofori-Atta, states that Adorye’s comments were understood to mean that Ofori-Atta and the Ofori Panin Stool are conniving, corrupt, and abusers of public office. Ofori-Atta contends that he has never authored or contributed to the document and that it does not emanate from the Ofori Panin Stool or its subjects.
The document is described as a propagandist piece that had been largely ignored until Adorye gave it attention on the Onua TV platform. Ofori-Atta is seeking four reliefs, including a declaration that Adorye’s words are defamatory, GHC10 million in damages, an apology and retraction, and a perpetual injunction restraining Adorye and Media General from repeating similar defamatory words.
The suit was filed on August 14, 2024, and is expected to be heard in court soon. The case highlights the ongoing debate about galamsey and corruption in Ghana, with Ofori-Atta and the Ofori Panin Stool seeking to clear their names and protect their reputation.
