Secretary to Okyenhene sues Hopeson Adorye for defamation

The Secretary to the Okyenhene, Daniel Marfo Ofori-Atta, has sued Hopeson Adorye, a member of the Movement for Change, for defamation for alleging that he was a co-writer of the “Agyapadie Document.”

Joined in the suit as a second defendant is Media General, operators of Onua FM and Onua TV, where the alleged defamatory comments were made by Mr Adorye.

In a writ filed at the Accra High Court, Mr Ofori-Atta is seeking GH¢10 million in damages, an apology and retraction of the said defamatory words, as well as a perpetual injunction against the defendants, their agents or assigns from repeating “similar or other defamatory words against the plaintiff”.

Statement of claim

The statement of claim accompanying the writ stated that on July 26, this year, Mr Adorye appeared as a panellist on a programme on Onua FM and made many unsubstantiated claims which had no basis or merit.

According to the statement of claim, the comments by Mr Adorye included claims that the Agyapadie document was indeed a plot by Ofori Panin Fie, Okyeman and some individuals to take over the country.

It added that the Agyapdie document had been deliberately littered with the images of the Okyenhene, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, J. B. Danquah and other prominent individuals to mischievously misrepresent that it emanated from Ofori Panin Fie, the Royal Palace of Okyeman.

It said despite the unsubstantiated claims and misrepresentation, Mr Adorye made the commentary to mean that the document was real and he (plaintiff) was a co-author.

The plaintiff said the commentary by the defendant portrayed Ofori Panin Fie and Okyeman as conspiring to loot the nation, as well as nation wreckers.

Such comments, the plaintiff said were defamatory, false, scandalous, but “also callous and engineered to bring public resentment to the plaintiff, the Ofori Panin Fie and the entire Okyeman”.

The plaintiff denied ever co-authoring the said document, describing it as a propaganda piece.

“Plaintiff avers emphatically that he has never authored, co-authored, written, co-written, provided a forward or any form of contribution towards the publication of the document, any other document, writing or discussion containing similar content as the said document or anything relating thereto, and further states that the document does not emanate from Ofori Panin Fie or its subjects,” the statement of claim added.