Investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas has pointed out that Ghana’s judicial system is plagued by “systemic flaws” that need urgent attention.
The journalist’s comments come after a defamation lawsuit filed against former Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, in Ghana and the U.S., which yielded different outcomes.
A jury in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, awarded US$18 million to Anas in the defamation suit.
However, in the suit filed in Ghana, the investigative journalist was seeking GH¢25 million in damages, citing defamatory materials published by Mr. Agyapong. But, the Accra High Court ruled against Anas on March 15, 2023, stating that his investigative methods resembled “investigative terrorism” rather than legitimate journalism.
The presiding judge in the Ghanaian suit, Justice Eric Baah, had held claims by Ken Agyapong that Anas was an extortionist and a blackmailer. The Supreme Court of Ghana later reinforced this ruling in 2024 with a narrow 3-2 decision.
Commenting on the issue after the verdict of the U.S. jury, Anas lamented over the situation and pointed out what he thinks are the flaws with Ghana’s system, highlighting the need to make changes.
“In 2018, when I pursued a similar lawsuit there (Ghana), justice eluded me. Despite Mr. Agyapong’s own admission of lacking evidence to support his calumnious claims, Justice Eric Baah of the Accra High Court not only denied me justice but also unjustly portrayed me—the civil plaintiff—as a criminal. This ruling was later condemned by Supreme Court Justice Kulendi, who described it as a ‘violent abuse of judicial authority.’ Such outcomes are a stark reminder of the systemic flaws within our Ghanaian judicial system—flaws that demand urgent reform,” he posted on his Facebook Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
In the lawsuit filed against Mr. Agyapong by Anas in the Essex County Superior Court on May 17, 2022, he accused Ken Agyapong and media personality Frederick Asamoah of making defamatory statements against him during an episode of The Daddy Fred Show, an online programme popular among Ghanaian audiences in the United States.
During the programme, the former lawmaker is alleged to have made false claims and damaging remarks about the journalist including labeling Anas as a criminal, a thief, and accused him of being behind the killing of investigative journalist, Ahmed Suale.
Mr. Suale was a key member of Anas’ investigative team, TigerEye PI, and was assassinated in 2019 by a gang of men on a motorbike following the release of Number 12, a documentary that exposed corruption in Ghanaian football.
Among the allegations highlighted in the court’s documents include;
- Falsely claiming that Anas had been convicted of crimes in Ghana.
- Accusing Anas of orchestrating Ahmed Suale’s murder.
- Asserting that Anas was responsible for the deaths of multiple Chinese nationals in Ghana.
- Labeling Anas as a thief.
Number 12 Documentary: Anas demanded $150,000 to kill story – Nyantakyi
