Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has sued Onua FM and Onua TV’s morning show host Godsbrain Smart (Captain Smart) for suggesting he (Ofori-Atta) got 10 per cent of the US$3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
On one of his shows, Captain Smart is purported to have said: “Are you aware that Ken Ofori-Atta has taken his 10% of the IMF money?”, adding: “[For] every loan we take, he [Ofori-Atta] takes 10%”.
The Fund recently approved a three-year programme for Ghana and immediately disbursed $604 million as the first tranche.
The rest would be disbursed upon intermittent assessment done by the IMF of the implementation of the programme.
In his writ, Mr Ofori-Atta, who led the Ghana delegation through the whole process, is praying the court for the “recovery of the sum of (GH¢10,000,000) as general damages including aggravated and/or exemplary damages for defamation for the libel uttered by defendant [Captain Smart]”.
In addition, he wants “an apology for and retraction of the words complained of and particularized supra”.
