Accra:Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has addressed allegations suggesting that lawyers intentionally made errors in the defamation lawsuit filed by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin against GoldBod CEO Sammy Gyamfi. These claims propose that the mistakes were deliberate to ensure the case's dismissal.
According to Ghana Web, Kpebu acknowledged the possibility of deliberate procedural errors within legal practice but emphasized that there is no evidence to support the notion that the error in Afenyo-Markin's case was intentional. During discussions about the court's decision to dismiss the GHS15 million lawsuit, Kpebu stated, "Yes, sometimes mistakes are deliberate," but clarified that no evidence indicates this was the case here.
Kpebu noted that while suspicions may arise when a case is dismissed due to procedural mistakes, these do not prove intentional mishandling. He explained that such allegations often circulate in legal and public discussions but do not necessarily reflect the truth of the situation.
He also mentioned other defamation suits where similar errors occurred, suggesting that procedural mistakes can happen without being deliberate. This particular case arose after Sammy Gyamfi referred to Afenyo-Markin as an "extortionist" during a JoyNews' Newsfile program in August, leading to Afenyo-Markin's demand for damages and a restraint on further publication of the statement.
The High Court's dismissal of the suit was based on procedural grounds and did not address the defamatory nature of the description or the truth of the allegations behind it.