The Founder of the Danquah Institute and a member of the governing New Patriotic Party has dragged the editor of the Herald Newspaper to court accusing him of libel.

Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko is asking for aggravated damages against Larry Dogbe for his publication on the controversial Ameri deal, which among other things, accused the former of wrong doing.

The June 22, 2018 edition of the Herald newspaper with the headline “Akufo-Addo’s family turns Ghana into a monarchy state; powerful bumpty, Gabby Otchere-Darko surge on Ameri deal” suggested in part that the Danquah Institute founder was involved in some underhand deals in the infamous Ameri renegotiation deal.

“The energy sector, has witnessed the biggest incursion of the governing family with various mid-night deals being cut on the blind side of Ghanaians. The situation looks like Ghana is now a monarchy with president Akufo-Addo, sitting at the top as king”

 “… The Herald is informed about how the family of the forced the Dubai-based owners of Ameri Energy into a meeting in Ghana in which Bumpty Akufo-Addo and Gabby Asare Otchere Darko were present and took center stage,” the paper said.

The publication came at the time when the Akufo-Addo led government was trying to renegotiate the power deal with the Dubai company after criticising the original contract signed between the company and the erstwhile John Mahama led government.

The renegotiated contract was deemed to be worse off and the fallout has been massive. The Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko has lost his job and there appears to be a court suit hanging around the neck of the Editor of the Herald Newspaper.

Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko insists the allegations made by Mr Dogbe in the newspaper were palpably false.

In the heat of the allegations, he posted a picture on facebook saying in December 2016, at the time when the NPP was in opposition, members of the Dubai based company had approached and met with the Akufo-Addo led campaign even before the NPP won the elections. 

According to him, it was a picture taken in that meeting which supporters of the NDC were riding on and creating the impression as if the meeting had taken place whilst the NPP was in government.

He has proceeded from the facebook post to the law court, seeking damages for what he says is a dent on his reputation.

“The defendants were malicious in their publication of the words complained of.

The defendants were persistent and emphatic as to the purported undesirability and domineering nature of the plaintiff.

The defendants insisted that the falsehood they were knowingly peddling was the truth,” he said in his 12-paged writ he filed against Larry Dogbe and his Herald newspaper.

He is asking the court for “general damages for libel” as well as “aggravated damages arising out of the libel.”

However, the Editor of the newspaper has told Joy News he is unfazed by the suit.

According to him Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko is trying to gag him on a matter that has received immense public interest.

He was emphatic that he stands by the allegations made in the publication.