Foreign affairs minister drags Africawatch to court
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has sued the Africawatch magazine and its editor,
Steve Mallory for defamation.
The magazine published in its June edition, an
article bearing the headline: “Conspiracy to steal, Ayorkor Botchwey’s lies
exposed; Nana Akufo-Addo’s defence falls flat”.
The article alleged corruption in a planned
purchase of a property in Oslo, Norway by the government of Ghana to be used as
its mission in the European country.
Ghana’s Minority in Parliament alleged that the
price of the property had been inflated to $12 million by the Ghanaian
government from $3.5 million.
On Monday, 8 July 2019, the Commercial Division
of the Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Samuel Asiedu give the
go-ahead to Ms Botchwey’s lawyers to serve the defendants the writ.
Ms Botchwey, who is out of the country, was
represented by her lawyer, Mr Garry Nimako.
The court authorised the plaintiff to serve the
defendants, who are resident in the US, by email.
The court further directed that the defendants
should make an appearance and file their defence in 14 days after the e-mail
correspondence.
About Author
Radia Sambare
Radia Sambare, is an online journalist, covers special events and reports about Africa and geopolitics, passionate about telling stories related to social justice and environmental issues. She's born and raised in Accra, Ghana.