Judge Ayisi Addo Sues Anas For Defamation

Justice Gilbert Ayisi Addo, one of the  high court justices accused of collecting bribes in the investigative reporter, Anas Aremeyaw Anas' judicial scandal, has again dragged the reporter and eight others to court for defamation – less than a week after he issued a writ against him, the Attorney General (AG) and the Chief Justice (CJ).

The high court judge believe the publication by Tiger Eye PI, a private investigations company  owned by Anas; veteran journalist Kweku Baako Jnr; the Manager of the Accra International Conference Center; Global Media Alliance; the Excellence In Broadcasting media company – owners of Starr FM – Media Foundation For West Africa (MFWA) and a Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who helped broadcast the video, has lowered his image in the eyes of right-thinking Ghanaians.

He is therefore seeking aggravated damages for the 'malicious recordings, publication, republication and circulation of the said audio-visual recordings as well as exemplary damages for the reckless publication, republication and circulation of the said audio-visual recordings.'

Furthermore, Mr Ayisi Addo is seeking a declaration that the audio-visual recordings and the transcripts thereof were fraudulently and unlawfully obtained by the 1st Defendant and that the Plaintiff never demanded any money from the 1st Defendant to influence his decision in any case pending before him.

In addition, he is seeking compensatory damages for the damage done to his reputation and a declaration that the 1st Defendant carefully and maliciously pieced together the audio-visual recordings and the transcripts thereof in a manner to incriminate him on the allegations of bribery and corruption.

Justice Ayisi Addo is of the opinion that Anas by his publication of the allegations, reduced the judge to a 'corrupt, criminally minded' and a 'common criminal' after the video allegedly filmed him taking GH¢2,000 bribe – an allegation the judge has denied while the Judicial Council investigates the matter.

The judge says he had been a lawyer for 19 years and member of the Bench for seven years and that Anas had lowered his reputation in the eyes of well-meaning Ghanaians by broadcasting the video.

He said the video was also unlawfully and maliciously procured and manipulated to portray him as a judge who collects bribes.

He avers that Tiger Eye PI, the company that did the investigations, is also an illegal and unregistered entity.

The actions of Anas and the defendants, the aggrieved judge said, had caused him to suffer “great distress, embarrassment and damage to his reputation as a lawyer and Justice of the Superior Court.”

Justice Ayisi Addo believes that “Defendants' action of publishing the audio-visual recordings was meant to injure his reputation by exposing him to public hatred, ridicule and contempt.”

He wants a perpetual injunction restraining the Defendants from publishing any further defamatory material about him as well as legal costs and any other orders the court may deem fit.

BY Fidelia Achama