MP drags Daily Guide to court over Shatta Wale story

Abu Mubarik 11:00 - 15 October 2016

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The MP says the October 3 edition of the Newspaper, which reported that he paid 80,000 Ghana cedis to Dancehall artiste Shatta Wale defamed him.

The Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Inusah Fuseini has dragged Western Publications Limited, publishers of Daily Guide newspaper, to an Accra high court for defamation.

Daily Guide published the story under the underline “Minister Blows Ȼ80,000 On Shatta Wale,” alleging that the Roads and High Minister paid an amount of over GH₵80,000 to bring the self acclaimed Dancehall King, Shatta Wale, to perform at his campaign launch in Tamale, Northern Regional Capital.

According to the story, Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jnr, popularly known as Shatta Wale, performed alongside two other local artistes in the region, who were also said to have been paid GH₵20,000 each.

Also joined to the suit are Fortune Alimi and Eric Kombat, Editor and Northern Regional Correspondent of the newspaper respectively.

Lawyers for the minister in a 33-paragraph statement of claim, said aside the publication, the paper again on page three of its October 5, 2016, edition published a caricature of plaintiff headed: “Tamale Fusena” depicting him with a bag of money on his back, holding a microphone in his hands and singing.

The publication drew criticism from his constituents who felt their MP has grown incensitive.

He, however, denied the story on various media platforms, saying he never paid anything to the Shatta Wale.

The minister is seeking GHȻ1,000,000 as exemplary damages and GHȻ3,000,000 as general damages, Daily Guide reported.

In addition, Inusah Fuseini is asking the court for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants jointly and severally either by themselves, agents or assigns, from publishing or causing to be printed the said defamatory words.