Former Ghana Football Association president Kwesi Nyantakyi has expressed satisfaction with the ruling delivered by Accra High Court, which dismissed the 25 million Ghana cedis defamation suit against politician Kennedy Agyapong brought by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
According to Justice Eric Baah, Anas Aremeyaw Anas failed to provide evidence that Ken Agyapong had defamed him through the airing of the documentary, “Who watches the watchman?” Instead, the documentary exposed shady deals that Anas and his associates were involved in.
Anas filed a defamation suit against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament in 2018, requesting GHC25 million in compensation for the defamatory material published against him by Agyapong.
The court concluded that Anas’ work did not constitute investigative journalism but rather investigative terrorism, and that Agyapong was justified in calling Anas “a blackmailer, corrupt, an extortionist, and evil.”
Following the ruling, Kennedy Agyapong dedicated his victory to Kwesi Nyantakyi, who received a lifetime football ban, which was later reduced to 15 years following Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ Number 12 documentary in 2018.
In an interview with Accra-based Oman FM, Nyantakyi commended the court’s decision, stating that it demonstrated the truth about Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
He said, “The high court’s decision testifies to the truth that Anas Aremeyaw Anas is not honest but as described by the court, he is a blackmailer and an extortionist.”
“The judge also described his job as an investigative terrorist instead of an investigative journalist. I have said before that Tiger Eye PI is a terrorist group. We have all been educated in our line of jobs such as journalism, law, engineering and medicine among others so what is so important to blackmail someone? If the person has really committed a crime, why not just go out and publish their deeds straightforwardly but rather ask for money first?”
“But the court has finally exposed him. He has been totally disgraced. He once portrayed himself as an angel but today I’m not even sure he is at the devil’s level yet. He is a disgraceful person.”
Kwesi Nyantakyi lost all of his football positions, including his role as a member of the FIFA Executive Council and the Vice President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after the airing of Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ investigative documentary.
