Move to Gag Chronicle...

VRA, UGM's Wereko-Brobby drag paper to court... Seek perpetual injunction
Dr. Charles Wereko- Brobby, a failed presidential aspirant in the 2000 presidential elections and former columnist of Chronicle, has lost his cool with the paper after failing to gag the paper through the National Media Commission, and has fired a libel suit, seeking ?1 billion in damages against the newspaper, which gave him space to criticize his political opponents.

While in opposition, Dr. Wereko-Brobby, now chief executive of the Volta River Authority (VRA), was very critical of the previous government in his column. He also fraternized with the media and described himself as a press freedom advocate. His voice was loud in calling for the repeal of the criminal libel law, a law he would have loved to use against Chronicle, if it existed today, and he castigated previous government appointees who slapped newspapers with huge lawsuits.

Dr. Wereko-Brobby founded and led the now-on-holiday United Ghana Movement (UGM), a political party he ran from the garage where he kept his Electoral Commission-donated Niva car.

Relationships between him and Chronicle were strained after his political party was described in a Chronicle news analysis as a "political NGO."

In line with Chronicle's editorial policy, the paper has equally criticized Dr. Wereko-Brobby since he was appointed by President Kufuor.

The paper has carried a number of stories on the operations of the VRA, as well as the chief executive and the manner in which he has been running the affairs of the public office.

According to a Ghana News Agency report filed yesterday, the Volta River Authority (VRA) and its chief executive, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby, have filed a writ at the High Court in Accra against the Ghanaian Chronicle asking for ?1 billion damages for libel.

The suit issued by Kofi Aboagye and Co. is against the Chronicle Media Limited, Mr. A.C. Ohene, Editor of the Ghanaian Chronicle and Mr. John Bediako, staff writer of the newspaper.

The writ filed on April 14, seeks exemplary damages of ?1 billion for libel of VRA and its chief executive as well as the granting of a perpetual injunction to restrain the newspaper to desist from publishing further defamatory articles against the VRA and its chief executive.

The said articles were published in Chronicle on December 16, 2002 and January 28, this year.

A statement signed by Dr. Wereko-Brobby said since the writ was filed, the newspaper has published "further scurrilous and offending articles" against the authority and its chief executive. It said the authority intended to file the requisite amendments to the original writ to cover the latest allegations and, if necessary, seek further damages for the additional libel contained in the said publications.

The statement said the VRA had taken the court action in order to offer the newspaper "ample opportunity" in a court to substantiate and establish beyond every possible doubt "the series of malicious allegations and accusations that the newspaper has rained systematically on the authority over the past several months."

The statement said the VRA had chosen not to use its constitutional right of rejoinder because "the very grave and serious nature of the accusations and charges made against it required that they be proven or exposed as the lies that they are."

"In our view, the most proper and responsible way to dispel these charges or for Chronicle to prove its case, is to bring the matter before the judicial courts of this country who have the statutory responsibility to establish the facts or otherwise of alleged criminal conduct on the part of the authority."

The statement said the VRA believes that its action constitutes "a defining moment" for the practice of journalism and accountability of public office holders under the Constitution.

It said VRA recognises the right of journalists to publish the truth. "By the same token, we also believe that public office holders, and indeed all citizens of Ghana, are entitled to the full protection of the laws of the land, especially the rigorous defence of their integrity, moral character and good standing.

"The VRA and its chief executive are confident that their policies and actions have been carried out in the best interest of Ghana and would stand every scrutiny in terms of their integrity, transparency and soundness." It said in spite of the very low level of water in the Akosombo dam, the VRA would continue to meet the power requirements of all its customers to the full.

In another development, Dr. Wereko-Brobby has described as false a statement by Mr. Doe Adjaho, Minority chief whip, that the chief executive and senior management had awarded themselves 300% increases in salaries.

In a letter to Mr. Adjaho and copied to the speaker, Dr. Wereko-Brobby said by rushing to press without proper verification, the MP had done "incalculable harm to VRA, its senior management and I believe to yourself for peddling such lies..."

Dr. Wereko-Brobby asked Mr. Adjaho to substantiate the contents of the statement "or knowing that they are a pack of lies" withdraw them immediately and apologise to the board and senior management of the authority.