Kwame Blay, son of former chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has sued the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for GH¢20 million, for defamation.
Kwame Blay (plaintiff) is seeking eight reliefs, including the GH¢20 million damages, a perpetual injunction restraining the MP and his associates from circulating and publishing the defamatory contents about him.
According to the plaintiff, who is owns multi-million companies within Ghana and abroad, Mr. Okudzeto (defendant) had published false statements about him and praying the court to make an order for same to be retracted.
The instance rides on the backdrop of a claim made by the MP that the plaintiff was involved in a certain transaction surrounding Labadi Beach Hotel and that Kwame Blay acted illegally and unlawful.
Quoting the defendant’s social media post on X (Twitter), dated June 7, 2024 which read: Even though it is difficult not to develop sympathy for Loic Devos Junior on how he was crudely hounded out of the deal by the Blay brothers, the organisation one has to pity the most is Labadi Beach Hotel.”
With this, Kwame Blay said he has just one brother, Kwaw Wosemoa Blay and no other, therefore, any statement such as “Blay brothers,” “Blay Family,” or “Freddie Blay sons” includes him.
The writ of summons filed in June 27, 2024 at the General Jurisdiction of the Accra High Court further quotes the defendant as saying: “The court documents expose an epic dogfight between Loic and Kwaw over fantastic sums of money being proceeds from the business activities on Labadi Hotel’s encroached beachfront, and yet Labadi Beach Hotel has absolutely no share in the booty, particularly after a joint venture agreement contemptuously flouted by all powerful Blay brothers, Kwaw Wosemoa Blay and Kwame Edenkema Blay.”
He said such references had been made on other platforms by the defendant severally, which go to tarnish his hard won image.
“How on earth can you have a hotel called Labadi beach hotel and yet they don’t have a beach. They no longer have a beach. Incredible, I was also shocked to the marrow when I discovered that. When President Akufo- Addo announced the year of return, a gentleman called Loic Devos Jnr, who is friends with the Blay Brothers, Freddie Blay’s sons, came up with this idea that Labadi Beach Hotel is an iconic beach hotel. They have a big beach front, why don’t we go and negotiate with them, sign a joint venture agreement, then we will do entertainment events…
“So they signed a joint venture. To the shock of everybody, the Blay brothers, according to over 800 pages court documents, decided that they will elbow out their business partner and someway somehow, the board of Labadi Beach Hotel, discovered that there is construction going on their beach front.
“The Blay brothers have created a new pathway to the beach and they are saying they have met some people in the La Traditional Council…to summarise, we have a situation where the Blay brothers have elbowed out everybody… Then Labadi Beach Hotel launched an enquiry. They found out that the MD must have colluded with the Blay brothers to make them lose their beachfront,” the writ quoted Okudzeto Ablakwa as saying on Citi FM.
The writ is particular about the keywords, the “Blay brothers,” “Blay Family,” or “Freddie Blay sons” which the plaintiff wants the court to take cognisance of and put a perpetual injunction restraining Okudzeto from making such malicious statements.
According to the writ, the Plaintiff has no stake in the subject matter, therefore, could not come to terms with the allegation being peddled by the MP.
It said Kwaw Blay is a full-man and businessman who can make independent decisions, therefore, associating the plaintiff’s brother dealings with him was in a very bad taste, particularly when the documents that the defendant’s is relying on make no reference to him at all.
The Plaintiff is seeking damages because the allegations by the defendant have also affected his company, Afrofuture, Limited to lose sponsorship and collaboration for this year’s event.
Furthermore, because of the defendant’s publication, individuals who have purchased properties from Afrofuture Limited are demanding refund of their monies.
Additionally, investors have also pulled out from the company’s affordable housing deal due to the defendant’s malicious publications.
