Vormawor’s Application Against Kan-Dapaah Suit Dismissed

Oliver Barker-Vormawor

 

A High Court in Accra yesterday dismissed an application filed by the convener of the #FixTheCountry Movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor which sought to quash the GH¢10 million defamation suit filed against him by the Minister for National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah.

The minister sued the controversial activist in September, this year, after Vormawor alleged that he was offered $1 million to silence him and other leaders of the movement.

Barker-Vormawor had alleged that the National Security Minister and other government officials met him in 2021 even before their first protest and offered him money to supposedly silence him.

He alleged among others that he and other leaders of the group were also offered appointment on committees as well as appointment to other government positions in order for them to end the activism.

Mr. Kan-Dapaah denied the allegations and instructed his lawyers to file a defamation suit against Vormawor, seeking damages of GH¢10 million and other reliefs.

But Vormawor, through his counsel, filed a motion to dismiss, hoping to get the case thrown out without even going into its merits.

But that application was yesterday dismissed by the court presided over by Justice Joseph Adu Agyemang, who held in his ruling that the application was procedurally wrong and of no merit.

 

Suit

The controversial activist made the bribery claims after he and some individuals were released by the police after they were arrested on September 22, 2023, for staging a demonstration in Accra in spite of a motion to restrict them being filed before a court.

“They went as far as offering us US$1 million, they offered us a Committee Appointment, set up a Committee and appoint us to Government positions in order to stop this activism. This was made directly to me and other leaders of fix the Country Movement… This conversation we had with the Minister of National Security, the Minister of Finance and a Brigadier General at a safe home,” Barker-Vormawor alleged.

The Ministry of National Security denied the allegation, and Barker-Vormawor had pledged to make the recording public, but that has not been done.

Mr. Kan-Dapaah, in a suit filed before an Accra High Court, is asking it to declare among others, that the statement is defamatory of him.

He is also asking for the “recovery of the sum of Ten Million Ghana Cedis (GH¢10 million) as General Damages including Aggravated and/or Exemplary Damages for Defamation for the words uttered by Defendant.”

The suit is again asking for an apology and retraction of the defamatory words complained of, a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from repeating similar or other defamatory words against Barker-Vormawor as well as cost.

 

By Gibril Abdul Razak

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