Court awards Ntim Fordjour GHS700K in defamation case

The Cape Coast High Court has ruled in favour of the Assin South MP, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, in a defamation suit he brought against Stephen Cobbah, also known as Adepa, and Yaw Korankye, also known as Ampong.

Rev. Fordjour had sued the two defendants over defamatory statements made on the “Assinman Politics Gh” a WhatsApp platform in March 2024. In his claim, he sought a declaration that the statements were defamatory, damages of GHS 1 million, a perpetual injunction, a retraction and apology from the defendants, as well as costs.

Delivering judgment on Monday, April 28, 2025, the court declared that the words published by the defendants were indeed defamatory. It awarded damages of GHS 700,000 against the defendants jointly and severally, and imposed a cost of GHS 20,000 on each defendant.

The court further issued a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from publishing any further defamatory statements against Rev. Fordjour. It also ordered the defendants to retract their defamatory statements with the same prominence with which they were published and to render an unqualified written apology to Rev. Fordjour.

The apologies are to be published on the “Assinman Politics Gh.” WhatsApp platform and any other platforms where the defamatory statements had been circulated.

The judgment brings closure to a case that underscores the increasing scrutiny and legal consequences surrounding the use of social media platforms for political commentary.