SOLICITORS OF the Director General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Mr. Ben Owusu Mensah(pictured), have prayed an Accra High Court hearing the case of defamation against Messrs.
Alfred Ogbamey and Concord Media Limited, publishers of the GYE NYAME CONCORD, to jail two journalists working with the media company.
The lawyer for the GPHA DG wants Mr. Alfred Ogbamey, Managing Editor of the GYE NYAME CONCORD, and the newspaper’s Acting Editor, Mr. Michael Antwi-Agyei, to be jailed for what he alleges are their “contumacious behaviour”.
In a notice of motion yet to be served on the Managing Editor of the GYE NYAME CONCORD and Mr. Antwi Agyei but made available to the media, solicitors of Mr Ben Owusu Mensah, are contending that the publication of the Gye Nyame Concord’s report of events before the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on the Commission’s probe into allegations of corruption, conflict of interest and insider dealing in a $16.8 million crane contract at GPHA, amounts to contempt of court.
The lawyer’s contention is that the publication of the story “CHRAJ Probes $16.8m GPHA Contract” in the Monday, October 8, edition of the CONCORD is a rude violation of the orders of the court not to publish anything defamatory of the GPHA DG in the defamation case brought by Mr Ben Owusu Mensah before James B Benson of the Accra High Court.
They are also insisting that the failure of the GYE NYAME CIONCORD to write its editorial following the writ, since last year, was an emotive outburst to the order on the restraining orders.
The CONCORD has refused since late last year December to write an editorial and has resisted promptings by lawyers for the GPHA DG in the chambers of the Judge, where proceedings have so far been held, to begin writing its editorials.
The lawyer for Mr Ben Owusu Mensah cited two “STOP PRESS” published by the CONCORD as part of what he said amounts to contempt of the court, and attached a copy of the paper’s report of CHRAJ proceedings titled “CHRAJ Probes $16.8m GPHA Contract” as part of its case.
The application was filed on the 12th of October this year by Etwie Atta Akyea of Messrs Zoe, Akyea & Co. law chambers, solicitors for Ben Owusu Mensah and GPHA, the GPHA Director General.
The lawyer for the CONCORD MEDIA LIMITED in the case, Mr Charles Puozuing, is expected to file defence for his clients before the case, which is scheduled for hearing this Friday at 9am at the premises of the Accra High Court, behind the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, Accra, is heard.
Source: GhanaWeb
