I lied against Baako, Anas on galamsey, bribery – Ekow Ewusi

Suspended New Patriotic Party (NPP) Central Regional Vice Chairman, Horace Ekow Ewusi, has issued an apology to Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr,  and undercover reporter, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

This follows an out of court settlement in a case in which , in a TV interview in April 2019, Mr Ewusi claimed that Mr Baako and Anas were involved in illegal mining activities, popularly known as ‘galamsey’.

He further alleged that the two men acted as agents of Alaska C & G Mining and attempted to bribe the Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.

Little did he know that he will be arrested less than a year later, and be the subject of missing excavators seized, for the same illegal act he accused the two men in engaging.

But before then, Mr Baako dragged him to the Accra High Court to seek redress over defamation on 16 April 2019.

In a Notice of Settlement document sighted by theghanareport.com, and dated January 6, 2020, Mr Ewusi stated in the presence of his lawyer, Ms Michelle Akuffo, that his ‘galamsey’ fraud comments were false.

“That in discussing issues surrounding illegal mining, I uttered words to the effect that Mr Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr and Anas Aremeyaw Anas together with Alaska C & G and Heritage mining were involved in ‘galamsey’ activities destroying Ghana’s forest.

“I further stated that Mr Kweku Baako came to plead on behalf of Alaska C & G and Heritage Mining to Professor Frimpong Boateng and attempted to bribe Charles Bissiw, and Professor Frimpong Boateng on two occasions first with two hundred thousand dollars and later upped it to two million dollars.

“The said allegations are false and the same should not have been made on the programme. In this regard, the comments made are incorrect is most regrettable.

“I, Horace Ekow Ewusi, do hereby apologise and unconditionally and unreservedly retract the allegations and comments made against Mr Abdul Malik Kweku Baako and his associates during the discussions on the aforementioned television programme.

“I finally, undertake not to further publish or reproduce the said allegations,” the apology read.

The reliefs sought by Mr Baako included.

a. A declaration that the words and statements under inter alia, uttered, and published by the Defendant (Mr Ewusi) and contained in paragraphs 9,11,12 and 14 herein are defamatory of his character;
b. An order of the Court directed at the Mr Ewusi to publish on three consecutive occasions, on the same platform that he published the defamatory words, an unqualified retraction and an apology, with the same prominence as given to the issuance of the defamatory words.
c. An order of the Court for a perpetual injunction restraining Mr Ewsui, his agents, assigns and servants from further publishing any defamatory words against the plaintiff.
d. General damages of the sum of One million Ghana Cedis for defamation.
e. Exemplary damages for malicious conduct of Mr Ewusi in defaming him.
f. Costs including legal fees, and
g. Any other order(s) as the Court may deem fit.

After Mr Baako secured the judgment, Mr Ewusi was required to also publish the retraction and apology in the Daily Graphic newspaper and also appear on Accra-based Adom TV’s Badwam, where he accused the journalists to offer the apology.