A taekwondo expert, Norbert Amefu, has lost his ¢500,000 defamation suit against Asempa 94.7 FM sports host, Benedict Kwadwo Mensah, alias Moshosho and The Multimedia Group.

The High Court (General Jurisdiction 6), which has been hearing the case since 2016, on Wednesday, delivered its judgment, dismissing the suit.

Justice Kweku T. Ackah-Boafo awarded what he said was the nominal cost of ¢10,000 instead of ¢80,000 sought by lawyers for The Multimedia Group led by Samson Lardy Anyenini.

The court upheld the defence that Mr Amefu could not prove his case and that the defendants didn’t err by warning parents and guardians not to enroll their children with Mr Amefu’s splinter Taekwondo Association.

It said this is because the Association is not registered or recognised by the Ghana Taekwondo Federation.

Mr Amefu’s splinter Greater Accra Taekwando Association (GATA) has, for a long time, been in running battles including legal suits with the national federation for refusing to recognise it because of the existence of GATA from which he broke ranks.

Though Mr Amefu lost his case, Justice Ackah-Boafo advised show hosts and commentators against the use of repulsive, rude and inappropriate language in the name of freedom of expression.

He said such comments could get them into trouble. 

The judge stressed that the fact that mere insults or vulgar abuse do not give rise to defamation in common law, it does not mean it is proper to use a powerful medium like radio to engage in such instead of positively influencing listeners.