Mr. Ibrahim Mahama, brother of President John Mahama, has sued Bright Simons, the Vice President of civil society group, Imani Africa, for defamation.
The suit stems from a publication Mr. Simons made on his website about developments from the government’s takeover of the Damang mine from Goldfields Limited – a company that had engaged Engineers and Planners (E&P), the company owned by the President’s brother, as its leading mining contractor at the Damang mine.
Mr. Simon’s publication had stated that E&P had been hit by financial difficulties as a result of the mining company’s decision to suspend some operations, which Mr Mahama’s company had hitherto been paid to support.
His publication also alluded to the company’s issues with its creditors following the financial pressures emanating from the Damang situation.
Engineers & Planners, and its owner, say they consider these”false and malicious.”
“The Plaintiffs state that the assertions made by the defendant are entirely false and wholly without factual basis,” the suit read.
They are also demanding to be paid damages of GHC 10 million, in addition to a public retraction and apology published in the Daily Graphic.
Meanwhile, Bright Simons has responded on social media even though he says he has not been served with the suit.
“This afternoon, I saw in the media that the brother of Ghana’s President has filed a suit against me for defamation. I also got a copy of the writ online,” he wrote on Thursday.
He further says his team intends to defend the statements from his publication in court. They also consider the lawsuit a SLAPP – a term that stands for Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, and commonly used by powerful people to gag critics.
“The fact that the government has nationalised a mine where he is the prime contractor suggests the possibility that he could continue delivering services there, but this time to a state-owned mine. That alone makes him a fair target for public interest scrutiny. We bear no malice towards Mr. Ibrahim Mahama. But we shall not be deterred from continuing to scrutinise any dealings of his that we believe have public policy implications,” Mr. Simons said on X.