Bright Simons’ lawyers challenge Ibrahim Mahama over mining deals and financial disclosures in GH¢10m defamation suit

In a dramatic twist to the ongoing legal battle between Bright Simons and the brother of the Ghanaian President, Ibrahim Mahama, lawyers for Simons have thrown down a challenge, demanding clear admissions or denials of a raft of detailed financial and political disclosures surrounding Mahama and his company, Engineers & Planners (E&P).

The challenge, laid out in a formal request for admissions filed at the High Court in Accra on June 2, 2025, is part of Simons' defense in a defamation suit brought against him by Ibrahim Mahama and E&P.

The document calls on Mahama and E&P to either accept or dispute a detailed set of claims that point to the intertwined nature of business, politics, and personal influence within Ghana’s lucrative mining industry.

Ibrahim Mahama’s Political Exposure and Financial Interests

At the heart of the requested admissions is the assertion that Ibrahim Mahama, the 1st Plaintiff, is a politically exposed person due to his familial connection to President John Dramani Mahama. According to Simons’ legal team, Mahama’s status was formally recognized by international firms, such as the Appleby Law Firm, which classified him as high-risk when he engaged them in 2013 to set up Red Sky Aviation in the Isle of Man.

The document further emphasizes that E&P, owned solely by Mahama, has been a major contractor in Ghana’s mining sector, with significant operations at Abosso Goldfields Limited’s Damang Mine. The company’s contracts with Abosso Goldfields were valued at $117 million between 2015 and 2019, and a subsequent deal signed in December 2019 was worth an estimated $300 million. This latter contract, stretching from 2020 to 2025, reportedly became E&P’s second-largest mining contract globally during that period.

Debt, Defaults, and the Fallout from Damang Mine Closure

E&P’s fortunes appear to have taken a sharp downturn following the suspension of active mining at the Damang site in 2023. According to the legal document, E&P has not received payment for core services such as drilling, blasting, and haulage since the shutdown, significantly affecting its revenue stream. This financial strain has reportedly led to tense engagements with creditors, including Stanbic Bank Ghana and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment & Development (EBID). In 2023, EBID had to restructure a medium-term loan E&P failed to service, making the company one of only two entities with such a record on the bank’s books.

Simons' lawyers also disclosed that E&P owes $68 million in loans taken around 2020 for fleet upgrades connected to the Damang project. This debt has since accumulated unpaid interest and penalties, leading creditors to make credit loss provisions. In addition, multiple lawsuits and demand notices from creditors are currently pending against the company.

Links to the Minerals Commission and Attempted Mine Acquisitions

The document also highlights E&P’s close ties to Ghana’s Minerals Commission. Simons' lawyers assert that Mahama and E&P know at least two senior Commission officials—Victoria Awuni and Isaac Tandoh—who previously worked for either E&P or Goldfields. This connection, they suggest, raises questions about regulatory influence and access.

In another revelation, the Plaintiffs are said to have attempted to acquire the Cardinal Namdini Mines in Bolgatanga, and even tried raising capital in Dubai and other markets to finance the acquisition. They also expressed interest in acquiring the Damang site itself from Gold Fields.

A Broader Public Interest Context
Simons’ legal team has framed these facts within the broader context of public accountability. They argue that the issues raised concern not only the internal dealings of E&P but also the public’s right to know how politically connected figures navigate massive state-influenced contracts and credit arrangements.

The filing concludes with a citation from the Oxford English Dictionary, defending the use of the phrase “up in arms”—which was used in Simons’ contested article—as a legitimate expression of public protest.

As the legal standoff intensifies, the case is set to test not only the limits of free speech and accountability journalism in Ghana, but also the resilience of political-business networks that have long influenced the country's natural resource sector. Whether Mahama and E&P will admit to or deny the detailed disclosures now lies at the heart of what could become one of Ghana’s most consequential legal showdowns in recent memory.

Ibrahim Mahama's defamation suit
Ibrahim Mahama filed a defamation suit against Bright Simons, Vice President of IMANI Africa, over what he describes as a series of “false and malicious” publications that have damaged both his personal reputation and that of his company, Engineers and Planners (E&P).

According to court documents filed at an Accra High Court on May 28, Mahama and E&P allege that Simons made defamatory claims in an article titled “Ghana Provides a Lesson in How Not to Nationalise a Gold Mine” published on April 19, 2025, on his personal website, brightsimons.com.

Download court document here