A court in New Jersey has drastically reduced a defamation damages award against Ghanaian politician Kennedy Agyapong from $18 million to just $500.

The case was brought by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who accused the former Assin Central MP of making defamatory remarks during an appearance on The Daddy Fred Show, a Ghanaian diaspora online programme.

In the lawsuit, filed in May 2022, Agyapong was alleged to have falsely labelled Anas a criminal and a thief, and linked him to the murder of fellow journalist Ahmed Suale. Suale was a member of Anas’s investigative team and was shot dead in 2019 following the release of Number 12, a documentary that uncovered corruption in Ghanaian football.

Last month, a jury found Agyapong liable for defamation and awarded $18 million in damages. However, the court later accepted Agyapong’s request to reduce the award, ruling that the amount was “unreasonably high”.

While the judge upheld the jury’s finding that Agyapong defamed Anas, the financial penalty was revised down to $500 in a decision issued on Monday, 12 May.

Anas, reacting to the ruling, said the case had never been about the money but about defending his reputation.

“Kennedy Agyapong admitted to having maliciously defamed me by filing for a reduction in the damages. Not a single allegation made against me was proven in court,” Anas said in a statement.

He added: “This fight has been about truth and justice. I remain committed to my work—naming, shaming, and jailing the corrupt.”

Source:TheDotNews