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Assin South Member of Parliament (MP), Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has been awarded ₵700,000 in damages in a defamation lawsuit against two individuals, Stephen Cobbah and Yaw Koranteng.
The judgement was delivered by the Cape Coast High Court on Monday, April 28, 2025, although the MP had initially sought GH₵1,000,000 in damages.
The court determined that the two defendants had published defamatory statements against the MP on the Assinman Politics Gh WhatsApp group platform.
Among other rulings, the court issued a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from further disseminating any defamatory statements against Rev. Fordjour.
Additionally, the defendants have been directed to retract the defamatory statements and render an unqualified written apology, which must be published on the Assinman Politics Gh WhatsApp group platform and any other social media platforms where the defamatory statements were circulated.
Background
This incident unfolded prior to the 2024 general election. The two individuals, who have since been convicted, were supporters of Joseph Kofi Damptey, the Assin South Independent Candidate who parted ways with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) citing discrimination and unfair treatment.
A heated confrontation erupted between supporters of Damptey and those of the incumbent MP for Assin South on the Assinman Politics WhatsApp platform, during which various allegations were exchanged.
In the course of this altercation, the two supporters accused John Ntim Fordjour of issuing fraudulent cheques to swindle traditional leaders at Nyankumase Ahenkuro, branding him a fraudster in the process.
Although Joseph Damptey’s campaign team later issued an apology when the matter was brought before the Nyankumase Ahenkuro traditional authorities, John Ntim Fordjour rejected the apology and proceeded to take legal action against the individuals involved. Today, the judgement was executed.
This case can be perceived as a broader attack on Damptey himself, rather than merely on the two convicted individuals, especially considering that they are unlikely to be able to pay any damages awarded against them.
They are simply unemployed supporters who broke away from the NPP in 2019 alongside the independent candidate.
