Multimedia In Trouble As Cecelia Dapaah Sues Them Over Defamatory Publications
Former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah has sued Multimedia over various defamatory publications made by the media house.
Lawyer of Cecilia Dapaah, Victoria Barth filed her statement at the High Court. In her statement, the lawyer made it clear that Multimedia has been publishing false statements about Cecelia Dapaah. The lawyer revealed that the media house published false information about the amounts in Ms Cecilia Dapaah’s accounts while ascribing the information to nameless, unidentified, and unverifiable sources.
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Below are some specific details in her statement to the court.
“Specifically, at about 12:30pm on 10 August 2023, JoyNews published a news article titled “OSP tracks $5m, finds GHc 48m in Cecilia Dapaah’s Prudential Bank accounts”. In that article, JoyNews proceeded to publish that, sources at the Office of the Special Prosecutor had disclosed amounts of money in the frozen bank accounts of Plaintiff and mentioned that other monies had been found in another account.
Cecelia Dapaah Sues Multimedia
“Again, at about 2pm on 10 August 2023, the Defendant’s outlet, JoyNews shared multiple stories titled “Joy News Prime // Cecilia Dapaah Case: OSP tracks $5m in total bank transactions over a period” and JoyNews Today // OSP finds $5million and Ghc48milion in Cecilia Dapaah’s bank accounts” on the social media platform YouTube.
“Not only had the Office of the Special Prosecutor not disclosed any amounts found in her accounts, but the assertion that the Plaintiff’s accounts contain $5m and GHC48m is false” lawyers for madam Cecilia Dapaah posited in the statement of case.
“Indeed, at about 4pm of that same day, 10 August 2023, the Office of the Special Prosecutor via one of its verified social media handles “Office of the Special Prosecutor – Ghana, @ospghana” rebutted and dispelled claims that it had revealed any specific amounts of monies found in Ms Dapaah’s bank accounts.
“Despite this rebuttal, at about 7pm of 10 August 2023, JoyNews continued to post material alluding to the false statement that $5m and GHc 48m had been found in Cecilia Dapaah’s bank accounts. The consistent reportage and peddling of falsehood by the Multimedia group and its news outlets evoked a feeling of enmity, distaste, and animosity of the Plaintiff in the eyes of the public.
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“Multimedia’s defamatory statements have resulted in the undesirable and negative interpretation in the minds of right-thinking individuals about the Ms Dapaah’s character and personality. It has also caused injury to madam Dapaah’s hard-won reputation.
Cecelia Dapaah Sues Multimedia
“Multimedia’s reportage of false information caused close friends and members of the public from various backgrounds to contact her, inquiring about the source of the reported sums of money and expressing disappointment that she had not extended generosity to her close associates. Others also ridiculed and accused her of wrongdoing on various media platforms” lawyers of Cecilia Dapaah further stated in the statement of case.