High Court authorises substituted service in McDan Group defamation case against journalist
The High Court in Accra has granted an order for substituted service in a defamation lawsuit brought by the McDan Group of Companies against journalist David Tamakloe.
The legal action published in the May 22, 2025, edition of the Daily Graphic follows an article published on The New Republic website in December 2024, which alleged that a McDan Aviation aircraft had been seized in the UK over unpaid debts—a claim the company vehemently denies as false and damaging.
As traditional methods of serving legal documents to Tamakloe were unsuccessful, the court approved alternative measures. The court’s order permits the plaintiff to deliver the writ and statement of claim by posting copies at the Law Courts Complex in Accra for ten days, publishing a notice in a national newspaper, and sending the documents via the defendant’s mobile number.
The McDan Group, a Ghanaian conglomerate with interests in aviation, logistics, and mining, contends that Tamakloe’s article was published without proper verification, causing severe reputational and financial harm.
The company, which has received multiple industry awards and runs the philanthropic McDan Foundation, argues that the false claims have eroded investor trust and subjected the firm to public ridicule.
In its lawsuit, McDan seeks a court declaration that the article was defamatory, a retraction with equal prominence to the original publication, a formal apology in a national newspaper and on social media, and general damages of GH₵10 million.
