A U.S. court has awarded Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas $18 million (£14 million) in damages after a jury ruled that he was defamed by former Ghanaian MP Kennedy Agyapong.
The case centers around comments Agyapong made about Anas following the journalist's 2018 BBC investigation into football corruption in Ghana and beyond. The court heard that, among other accusations on a podcast, Agyapong called Anas a "criminal" and falsely claimed that Anas was responsible for the murder of fellow journalist Ahmed Suale.
Anas had previously lost a similar legal case in Ghana seven years ago. However, after the release of the podcast episode in 2021, Anas filed a lawsuit in New Jersey, where Agyapong owns the property. According to court documents, Agyapong was in New Jersey at the time of his interview for the Daddy Fred Show podcast.
The initial verdict from last week was upheld on Tuesday, with an eight-member jury in Essex County Superior Court unanimously finding Agyapong liable for defamation. The $18 million award includes $8 million in punitive damages.
Anas responded to the ruling, saying, "Justice has prevailed. This victory is not just for me, but for truth, press freedom, and every journalist who risks everything to expose corruption and wrongdoing. No amount of intimidation or falsehood will silence the pursuit of accountability, even in the face of assassination. Our work continues, undeterred and unafraid."
Anas, who has earned multiple international awards for his investigative journalism, has pledged to continue his fight against corruption and hold wrongdoers accountable.
Agyapong's legal team had argued unsuccessfully that the case should not have been brought in the U.S. They also contended that the comments made on the podcast were mere hyperbole and opinion, not subject to a defamation lawsuit.
Meanwhile, police in Ghana have arrested a suspect in connection with the 2019 murder of Ahmed Hussein Suale, Anas' colleague. The suspect is alleged to have shared photographs of the undercover journalist with a well-known Ghanaian politician before Suale's death. The murder is believed to be linked to the corruption investigation Anas and his team exposed, which was reported by BBC Africa Eye.
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