Shirley Ayorkor sues The Herald; demands GHC10 million for damages

The Minister of Foreign Affairs has sued the Managing Editor of ‘The Herald’ newspaper and its media company over defamation.

The Herald newspaper on June, 2019 is said to have published a defamatory story captioned “Judge released Minster’s notorious boys from jail”, which was subsequently published on its online portal.

The publication suggests that the MP has engaged in illegal activities or abetted to commit crime against the state by using her political influence to order the release of a convicted criminal who was serving a lawful prison sentence in jail.

In the publication the defendant referred supra that “Mr. Wala who goes by the nickname “Namadina” is believed to have pulled a fast one on the judge, and unconfirmed reports on the lips of his close associates, as well as his victims are that, he committed this illegality with the help of his political godmother; Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey…”

The plaintiff finds this publication defamatory adding that she has not and cannot order the release of any convicted criminal from any prison since she has no power to do so.

In a writ sighted by Ghanaweb, the Minster through her lawyer Gary Nimako states that the defamatory statements made were without any just cause and were intended to cause her public ridicule, disaffection and to reduce her image in the eyes of right thinking members of the society.

She is among other things demanding a retraction and an unqualified apology from the defendants and “compensatory damages in the sum of GHC 1,000,000 for loss of reputation against the defendants.”

Meanwhile, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botchway has sued Africawatch magazine and Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over a defamatory story published in its magazine accusing her of inflating of over 16 million dollars for the purchase of a building in Oslo, Norway.

The plaintiff who is represented by lawyer Gary Nimako is demanding a sum of twenty million United States dollars for loss of reputation against the defendants as compensation.