US Court Awards $18 Million to Ghanaian Journalist in Defamation Suit Against Former MP

Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas was awarded $18 million in damages after a jury found he had been defamed by former Ghanaian MP Kennedy Agyapong.

This case originated from comments Agyapong made in response to Anas’ 2018 BBC investigation that unveiled widespread corruption in football across Ghana and beyond.

The dispute escalated following Agyapong’s appearance on the Daddy Fred Show podcast, where he labeled Anas a “criminal” and implicated him in the murder of another journalist, Ahmed Suale. This accusation came despite Anas having previously lost a similar defamation case in Ghana seven years earlier.

Seeking justice, Anas filed the lawsuit in New Jersey, USA, where Agyapong owns property and was present during the podcast recording. The legal proceedings concluded with a unanimous verdict from an eight-member jury at the Essex County Superior Court, awarding Anas $10 million in compensatory and $8 million in punitive damages.

Reacting to the verdict, Anas expressed that the outcome was a triumph not only for himself but for journalistic integrity and the relentless pursuit of truth and accountability.

“No amount of intimidation or falsehood will silence the pursuit of accountability even in the face of assassination. Our work continues, undeterred and unafraid,” Anas stated, reaffirming his commitment to exposing corruption.

Despite their arguments that the comments were mere hyperbole and opinion, typically not grounds for defamation, Agyapong’s legal team was unsuccessful in dismissing the case in the US.

Concurrently, authorities in Ghana have made a recent arrest in connection with the 2019 murder of Ahmed Hussein Suale, a colleague of Anas. The suspect is accused of distributing images of Suale to high-profile figures prior to his assassination, which was linked to the same football corruption investigation reported by BBC Africa Eye.