Defamation Suit: Manasseh Azure Quizzed On His Publications And Law | General News

Lawyer Kweku Paintsil representing Lighthouse Chapel International in its ongoing legal battle with investigative Journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni and three others has questioned Manasseh’s legal knowledge , Journalism training as well his allegations made against Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI) in a series of publications titled “Darkness in Lighthouse”

The Journalist while undergoing cross examination by Lawyer Paintsil was quizzed about whether he was aware that Article 164 which guarantees that every Ghanaian has the right to good reputation, balances Article 162 which protects the freedom of the Press. Manasseh in his response agreed.

Manasseh Azure was presented with exhibits establishing that, the articles under contention were published by the third defendant, Sulemana Braimah on his Facebook wall.

Manasseh Azure was presented with those exhibits in response to his defence that, the third Defendant, Sulemana Briamah was not involved in the Fourth Estate’s publications. He however confirmed that Sulemana Braimah was the publisher of the exhibits when they were presented to him.

When Azure was asked if could remember a speech he delivered at the University of Ghana in March 2023, where he stated that he had never been held liable by a court for his publication, he responded that, he could not remember the specifics from the speech, but if he did “ refer to not being found liable then it was in reference to defamation.”

Lawyer Paintsil proceeded to ask him if he recalled that, with regards to the article “Darkness in a Lighthouse,” he and the other defendants were found guilty of contempt of court on October 25, 2022, which he admitted.

Azure after the admission clarified that, a contempt case is different from a defamation case.” 

Lawyer Paintsil reacting to Azure’s response, indicated that the defendant was conveying the notion that, when dealing with press matters, a civil judgment is more important to him than a criminal conviction resulting from his publications but Azure disagreed.

When asked if he understood the significance of disclosing information that was not before the court while reporting on a court matter, Azure responded that he did in his capacity as a journalist.

He was asked about whether as a journalist he received training on publication of matters before a court as a journalist.

He responded that what he remembers from such training was to refrain from passing judgement or opinions about the possible outcome of a case.

Azure was also confronted with allegations he made in his publications over the refusal of Lighthouse Chapel International to pay SSNIT benefits of six Pastors who had resigned from the church.

In his response he said, those were the allegations made by the six Pastors who resigned and same were also found in the documents they filed in court.

He admitted that, the documents filed by the six Pastors before the court were the Judge’s assessment and determination only at the conclusion of the trial. He also admitted that he did not expect the Judge to be bound by any conclusion that he, Manasseh Azure reached at the end of the case.

Despite a SSNIT report that exonerated LCI regarding the contributions for the Six Pastors, Azure admitted he published an article titled ” Evidence- How Lighthouse Chapel Incriminated itself and SSNIT looked away”

Lighthouse Chapel International following the August 2021 report has told the court that, Azure and the three others do not have any proof to support their claims that, the Church has failed to pay over 42 years of SSNIT contributions for some former Pastors.

The church has also said, the defendants do not have evidence to give credence to their claims that, the three church structures, the publication showed which belongs to the church, were built by former Pastors Larry Odonkor, Edward Laryea and Seth Duncan with their own resources.

Justice Joseph Adu Owusu has adjourned to July 22 for further cross examination.