Cape Coast High Court slaps 700K damages on two for defaming Assin South MP

The Cape Coast High Court has found two individuals, Stephen Cobbah and Yaw Korankye, guilty in a defamation suit brought against them by the MP for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour. The duo has been ordered to pay damages of GHS 700,000 and a cost of GHS 20,000 each.

According to court documents, the two individuals published defamatory information about the MP on a WhatsApp platform prior to the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.

The Plaintiff (Rev. Ntim Fordjour), in his suit, sought the following reliefs against the Defendants:

1. A declaration that the statements made by the Defendants on the Assinman Politics Gh. platform on or about the 8th and 9th of March 2024 and reproduced at Paragraphs 7, 8, and 11 of the Statement of Claim are defamatory;
2. Damages for libel and slander in the sum of One Million Ghana Cedis (GHS 1,000,000.00);
3. An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendants, whether by themselves, their agents, servants, workmen, privies, or anyone claiming through them, however described, from further authoring, publishing, and/or causing to be written, printed, and published the said words or similar statements defamatory of the Plaintiff;
4. An order directed at the Defendants to retract the said defamatory statements in the manner and with the prominence with which the defamatory statements were published;
5. An order directed at the Defendants to each render an unqualified apology to the Plaintiff in writing and cause same to be published on the Assinman Politics Gh. WhatsApp platform and any other social media platforms where the Defendants circulated the defamatory statement;
6. Cost, including solicitor’s fees;
7. Any other relief(s) that this Honourable Court may deem fit.

The Cape Coast High Court, in its ruling dated April 28, 2025, returned the following verdict:

1. A declaration that the words published by the Defendants on the Assinman Politics Gh. WhatsApp group platform are defamatory;
2. Damages of GHS 700,000.00 against the Defendants, jointly and severally;
3. Cost of GHS 20,000.00 against each of the Defendants;
4. An order of perpetual injunction directed at the Defendants from further publishing any defamatory statements against the Plaintiff;
5. An order directed at the Defendants to retract the said defamatory statements in the manner and with the prominence with which the defamatory statements were published;
6. An order directed at the Defendants to each render an unqualified apology to the Plaintiff in writing and cause same to be published on the Assinman Politics Gh. WhatsApp platform and any other social media platforms where the defamatory statements were circulated.