An Accra Fast Track High Court presided over by Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko Essah has awarded a GH¢500,000 in damages against Dr Andrew Owusu, an athletics coach of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA) for defaming a former president of the association, George Haldane Lutterodt.
The Judge also awarded GH¢6,000 as cost against the defendant in a case brought by Mr Lutterodt in 2014 against Mr Owusu for accusing him of being involved in a visa racketeering deal when he was chairman of the GAA between 2001 and 2004.
Dr Owusu was further ordered to publish in the Daily Graphic a retraction and apology for deliberately defaming Mr Lutterodt and do same at Radio Gold, an Accra- based FM station where the defendant made those statements.
Reading her judgement yesterday, Justice Essah described the allegations made made by Dr Owusu on Accra-based Radio Gold as actuated by malice and orchestrated to tarnish the image of the plaintiff in the eyes of the public ahead of an election the plaintiff was contesting.
She averred that Dr Owusu failed to prove how he suffered under Mr Lutterodt during the tenure as GAA President and could not substantiate allegations of visa racketeering he made against the plaintiff.
The judge noted that statements made by Dr Owusu in his pleadings were false and his allegations had brought distress and bad publicity for Mr Lutterodt.
An elated Mr Lutterodt told the Graphic Sports yesterday that the judgement delivered by the courts was victory for Ghana athletics and expressed gratitude to God for the outcome.
Lawyers for the plaintiff and defendants were both present at the courts.
Source: Daily Graphic
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