Legal practitioner and activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor has signalled his intention to challenge a High Court ruling ordering him to pay GH¢5.1 million in damages and costs to former National Security Minister Albert Kan Dapaah, describing the process leading to the judgment as flawed.

In a Facebook post on March 2, 2026, Barker-Vormawor outlined a series of procedural concerns he believes undermined the fairness of the trial.

According to him, after his lawyer was appointed the Deputy Attorney General of Ghana, he applied to the court for an adjournment to enable him secure new legal representation. He said the court granted the request.

However, he noted that when his newly appointed lawyer subsequently asked for time to study the proceedings and prepare and file his witness statement, the judge declined the request and directed counsel to proceed with the cross-examination of Kan Dapaah.

Barker-Vormawor further alleged that his defence was struck out after his lawyer missed a court sitting.

“He missed court one day, and when we got the record, the judge had struck out my defence and given a date to give judgment,” he said.

He added that his legal team filed a motion to relist the defence and submitted his witness statement along with that of another witness.

Barker-Vormawor shares alleged recording of attempted bribe by Kan-Dapaah, citing Ofori-Atta

They also filed a motion to arrest judgment, but the court dismissed the applications and proceeded to deliver judgment in favour of Kan Dapaah.

“Cross examination kraa we couldn’t finish,” he stated, expressing dissatisfaction with the outcome.

Despite the ruling, Oliver Barker-Vormawor maintained that he would take steps to have the decision set aside.

“Of course we will seek to set it aside. But he can take his victory lap. You can read my witness statement; that the court refused to consider if you want!” he added.

The High Court in Accra awarded GH¢5 million in general damages to Kan Dapaah for defamation and imposed GH¢100,000 in costs.

Justice (Rev) Joseph Owusu Adu-Agyeman granted the former minister’s reliefs but reduced the initial GH¢10 million claim by half.

Kan Dapaah sued over allegations by Barker-Vormawor that he and other officials had offered him money to halt his activism.

The court struck out the activist’s Statement of Defence before judgment, after dismissing an application to relist it as alien to the rules.

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