Nkonkonsa Celebrity Gossip From Africa
The Superior Court of New Jersey has ruled in favor of investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, awarding him $18 million in damages in a defamation lawsuit against former Ghanaian MP Kennedy Agyapong and social media commentator Frederick Asamoah.
The verdict follows a protracted legal battle over alleged defamatory statements made by the two defendants during a 2021 interview broadcast online.
Background of the Case
Anas filed the lawsuit on May 17, 2022, at the Essex County Superior Court, accusing Agyapong and Asamoah of making false and damaging statements about him during an episode of The Daddy Fred Show, a widely viewed online program targeting Ghanaian audiences in the United States.
The live-streamed interview, which amassed over 29,000 views, contained multiple defamatory claims, including accusations that Anas was a criminal, a thief, and responsible for the murder of his colleague, Ahmed Suale—an investigative journalist who collaborated with Anas on the “Number 12” documentary. Suale was tragically murdered in January 2019, with no convictions made to date.
The lawsuit cited several false claims made by Agyapong, including:
- Alleging that Anas was a convicted criminal in Ghana.
- Claiming that Anas orchestrated the murder of Ahmed Suale.
- Accusing Anas of being responsible for the deaths of multiple Chinese nationals in Ghana.
- Labeling Anas as a thief.
Court Ruling and Agyapong’s Response
The Superior Court of New Jersey ruled in Anas’ favor, awarding him $18 million in damages. However, Agyapong’s legal team has filed for remittitur, seeking a reduction in the damages awarded.
This US court ruling comes just days after an Accra High Court in Ghana dismissed a GH¢25 million defamation suit Anas had filed against Agyapong on March 15, 2025.
In that case, Justice Eric Baah ruled that Anas failed to prove that Agyapong had defamed him through the airing of Who Watches the Watchman, a documentary Agyapong released to challenge Anas’ work. The judge concluded that Anas’ brand of journalism was “not investigative journalism but investigative terrorism”, and justified Agyapong’s descriptions of Anas as “a blackmailer, corrupt, an extortionist, and evil.”
Source:NKONKONSA.com
