Nduom sues Twum-Boafo

April 25, 2012 (Page 17) The flagbearer of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, has hauled the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Free Zones Board, Kojo Twum Boafo, to the High Court for defamation. He is requesting the court to award him GH¢500,000 being punitive and aggravated damages for maliciously and recklessly publishing false and scandalous information against him on a private radio station on April 5, 2012 at about 7.00 a.m. Mr Boafo was alleged to have stated among other things that Dr. Nduom had no conviction and principles in life, had used deposits of his customers in his financial institution to finance his political campaigns, was an agent of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and had allegedly transferred $500,000 to his CIA agents abroad without paying tax on the said amount. The defendant was also alleged to have stated that Dr. Nduom was dismissed from former President J. A. Kufuor’s government because he was in the habit of leaking information to the media. Dissatisfied with Mr. Boafo’s allegations, Dr. Nduom’s lawyers, Quashigah and Co. of Dzidedi Chambers filed a suit at the High Court on April 19, 2012, praying the court to order the defendant to render an unqualified apology in a like manner and of the same prominence to the said publication which was aired on Happy FM. The plaintiff is further praying the court to permanently restrain the defendant and his agents from further publishing such scandalous information about him as well as award cost of litigation and other reliefs the court might deem fit. A date is yet to be fixed for hearing of the substantive matter after Mr. Boafo files his defence. According to the plaintiff, his reputation as an astute politician both locally and internationally had been gravely affected by the defendant’s malicious claims. He said his reputation had been seriously damaged and had suffered considerable embarrassment. A statement of claim accompanying the writ of summons said the plaintiff would make a copy of the audio recordings available to the court. It contended that Mr. Boafo knew and ought to have known that the said publication would cause and had practically caused such irreparable damage to the reputation and integrity of Dr. Nduom as a fraudster, hypocrite, tax evader, secret agent and a person without principles or conviction. According to the statement, the defendant’s words had subjected Dr. Nduom to public ridicule and hatred and if same was not stopped by the court, his entire political career will be wrecked.