GFA spokesperson slaps Anas with GH¢20 million suit

The Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Ibrahim Sannie Daara has slapped Tiger Eye PI and investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas with a GH¢20 million defamatory suit.

Mr Daara is asking the High Court to award damages amounting to GH¢20 million arising from defamatory materials published by Anas in a documentary on corruption in Ghanaian football titled #Number12.

The GFA Communications Director has also filed another motion for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights at the High Court arguing that the #Number12 video ‘violated the Applicant’s right to the privacy of his communication which is guaranteed by Clause 2 of Article 16 of the Constitution’.

The former BBC journalist argues that the said publication in the #Number12 documentary screened in July across the country put him across as a corrupt, fraudulent and crooked employee of the GFA.

The lead counsel for Mr Daara, Mr Dominic Ayine told Joy FM in an interview that Anas is aware that the allegations against his client are false yet he went ahead to publish them.

"Basically, it focuses on the part of the video which alleges that our client took a bribe to fix someone to be called to the Black Stars. That is the essence of the suit, the suit is very much focused on that aspect and nothing else," Mr Ayine said.

Mr Ayine also disclosed that lawyers for the GFA spokesperson did not engage Anas before filing the suit.

"No, we have not engaged the lawyers for Anas Aremeyaw Anas before filing this action. If you watch the video which is less than four minutes... Saanie Daara is depicted as having been involved in a discussion relating to the call-up of a player into the Black Stars.

"What our client said in that video was basically a piece of advise to the effect that the potential Black Stars player must do well to train and work hard and if the scouts and the coach think that he is a proper person to be called to the Black Stars they would do so... And then you will find out that Anas' Tiger Eye operatives attempt to give him an envelope and then he says give it to this person, he points to a person that he says they should give it to and then there is a voice-over that says that he collected a bribe in order to get someone called to the Black Stars.

"From even the video itself, you can tell that our client never requested any bribe, you can also tell that he never accepted any bribe and yet the Tiger Eye video says that he accepted a bribe and asked that it should be given to his colleague. So, that is the point of our focus," Mr Ayine explained.