The Media General, TV3 Network Limited and their Morning Show icon, Johnny Hughes, might be paying the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Kwame Asuah Takyi, GH¢20 million in the event they are found guilty in a law suit brought against them by the latter.
In the writ of summons filed on September 27, this year, at the Accra High Court by the Comptroller-General, Mr. Takyi, is seeking, among other things, GH¢20 million damages from the defendants, due to defamatory statements made against him.
He averred that Johnny Hughes, who is an employee, servant and/or agent of Media General and TV3, between August 24 and September 23, 2022, on a Morning Show segment called “Johnnies’ Bite,” made certain defamatory statements to the effect that the Comptroller-General was allegedly engaging in corrupt practices, as well as abusing his office.
Some of the supposed utterances captured in the writ include the Comptroller-General was indulging in visa and permit malpractices, for which he was once punished. For which, the Comptroller-General was interdicted from 2013 to 2017.
According to the writ, Mr. Hughes also accused the plaintiff of painting the Service with political colours, and as such, Mr. Takyi recruits political immigration officers, protocol immigration officer, leaving out proper immigration officers.
It further quoted the third defendant of saying that there were some senior officers at the top who were benefitting, perhaps, from the rot in the Service, and such persons did not want somebody to go, because once that was done, their cover would be blown.
Following the aforementioned statement, the writ alleged that the 3rd defendant made an emphatic statement that “… the corruption must stop; Takyi must go.”
It continued: “… are you still aware that those receipt issuing syndicate, the corruption, the money under the table like Nana Addo spoke about, which is why you have centralised all permits renewal for foreigners at Assistant Commissioner of Immigration for six years, and has not been promoted, meanwhile, there is four year convention or rule if you ask any uniformed person they may tell you, unless, of course, there are certain circumstances…?
Johnny was said to have accused the plaintiff of failing to attend the funeral rites of DCOI Peter Claver Nantuo, the GIS Volta Regional Commander, whom he claimed was known to be the Comptroller-General’s enemy, and as a result, he replaced the deceased while battling for his life at the Ridge Hospital.
Johnny is alleged to have further accused the Comptroller-General of supervising an Immigration Service, now known to be the second most corrupt institutions in the country.
To add insult to injuries, the plaintiff said the 3rd defendant said: “…in a regimented space there is order, there’s discipline. Is that the kind of discipline you teach your officer? To molest people who are going about their normal duties. Did you molest Aisha Huang? When you were busy giving her whatever it is on Sunday.”
Additionally, it said on the Johnnies’ Bite show, the plaintiff was accused of promoting persons within his secretariat over and above their seniors, and to the extent that he promoted a family member twice in a day.
In the suit, Johnny is reported to have said if Mr. Takyi dared him, he would be compelled to open more cans of worms to prove that the Comptroller-General was corrupt, used his position to settle personal scores with his officers; used the GIS to make money for himself, and had a questionable character.
The law suit, which may serve as a fine opportunity for the television icon and his employers to prove their case, is seeking an order directed at the defendants to retract and expunge or remove from their website any records and archives related to all the defamatory publications and statements related to the plaintiff.
It also wants an order directed at the defendants to remove or pull down from all search engines or links from which the alleged defamatory publications and statements regarding the plaintiff were accessible.
It also wants an order to be directed at the defendants to retract defamatory statements and render an apology to the plaintiff, while an injunction should be placed on the defendants from making or publishing similar defamatory statements about the plaintiff.
The plaintiff averred that the statements made by the 3rd defendant on the Media General and TV3 platform were false and a calculated attempt to disparage him and lower his hard earned reputation in the eyes of right-thinking members of the society.
The defendants have been given eight days after service of the summons to enter appearance.
