News:
September 12, 2011
The Member of Parliament for Atwima Kwanwoma, Dr Appiah Kubi, has been sued together with Adom FM by an Economist Dr Cadman Mills for libel for publishing false information about him with the intention to dent his image.
In the writ dated September 7, 2011, Dr Mills is seeking Gh¢20,000,000 “in damages for libel and malicious falsehood published by the defendants and concerning the plaintiff.”
He is also seeking an order of the court directed at the defendants to retract the said publication with unconditional apology to him.
In his statement of claim, signed by his lawyers, Bram-Larbi, Beecham and co, Dr Mills, who is also the younger brother of President J.E.A Mills, said in the August 26, 2011, edition of a programme on Adom FM named; “Dwaso” Dr Appiah Kubi, while contributing to the issue of $3,000,000,000.00 loan raised by the government from the Chinese Commercial Bank, accused him of being a corrupt person who had received a kick-back of $7,500,000 from the upfront payment on the loan.
He said the words, translated literally into English, had Dr Appiah Kubi saying,”If you calculate 0.25 per year of the upfront payment which comes to $7,500,000.00 which somebody will collect into his pocket.”
He said the host, Adakabre, subsequenly asked: “Who is that person,” to which Dr Appiah Kubi replied “We have heard that some people are fronting to take that in Ghana. I have heard that Dr Mills’s brother, Cadman Mills is the one fronting for it. That is what we have heard. It is being rumoured and that is why I am asking. Why don’t I believe it? It is being rumoured by people and I am also pushing it.”
He said to the ordinary Twi speaker, what Dr Appiah Kubi said on the airwaves of Adom FM, which is owned by Multimedia Broadcasting Ltd, meant that he was a corrupt person indulging in bribe taking, a crime that carried dire consequences under the laws of Ghana.
He said the allegations were not only scurrilous but false and reckless and same was published by Adom FM through their various mediums without any attempt at verifying the truth or otherwise of the claim that he was a corrupt person who had received bribes of $7,500,000 from the Chinese.
He said the offensive words were carrieed and disseminated widely by Adom FM and Multimedia to a substantial number of unquantifiable listeners in Ghana and abroad on the worldwide web at www.adomonline.com and myjoyonline.com/ghana, among others and also via chat groups and rooms on the Internet and also on the many affiliate stations of Adom FM owned by Multimedia Broadcasting Company Ltd.