"We bore Dr Tony Aidoo no malice" - Editor-in-Chief of The Statesman Newspaper
Gilbert Boyefio, Christie Hill
23/02/09
The Editor-in-Chief of The Statesman, Asare Gabby Otchere-Darko, has stated in his evidence-in-chief that the news article the paper wrote about Dr Tony Aidoo was not done in malice.
The Statesman newspaper in the said publication indicated that it has reliable information from Britain’s immigration department that Tony Aidoo who had ostensibly traveled to the United Kingdom to pursue an academic programme in Law was instructed to leave because he had overstayed his visa.
According to Mr Otchere-Darko, the article was published in the public interest and was not intended in any way to belittle the former Deputy Defense Minister, whom he described as his friend.
To stress the good relationship between Dr Aidoo and himself, Mr Otchere-Darko informed the court that he once published a front page story for the former Deputy Defense Minister when he approached him that some people were after him (Tony).
Mr Otchere-Darko, who was led by his counsel Nana Asante Bediatuo, told the court that when the paper’s attention was drawn to certain inaccuracies in the article, a retraction was published. He went ahead to tender into evidence a photocopy of the edition in which the retraction story was carried on the front page of the paper.
He indicated that Dr Tony Aidoo misled officials of the Immigration Service when he refused to declare the real purpose for his visit to the UK, adding, “This in itself is an offence under the Constitution”.
Counsel for the defence appealed to the court for a short adjournment to enable them tender into evidence a document which they forgot to bring to court. This was opposed by counsel for the plaintiff but was overruled by the judge, Justice Benson.
Dr Tony Aidoo is suing the former publishers of The Statesman, Kinesic Communications Ltd, and the paper's Editor-in-Chief, Asare Otchere-Darko, over a publication of October 2003 in which the paper claimed he was "deported" from the United Kingdom for breaching that country’s immigration rules. He is demanding punitive damages.
23/02/09
The Editor-in-Chief of The Statesman, Asare Gabby Otchere-Darko, has stated in his evidence-in-chief that the news article the paper wrote about Dr Tony Aidoo was not done in malice.
The Statesman newspaper in the said publication indicated that it has reliable information from Britain’s immigration department that Tony Aidoo who had ostensibly traveled to the United Kingdom to pursue an academic programme in Law was instructed to leave because he had overstayed his visa.
According to Mr Otchere-Darko, the article was published in the public interest and was not intended in any way to belittle the former Deputy Defense Minister, whom he described as his friend.
To stress the good relationship between Dr Aidoo and himself, Mr Otchere-Darko informed the court that he once published a front page story for the former Deputy Defense Minister when he approached him that some people were after him (Tony).
Mr Otchere-Darko, who was led by his counsel Nana Asante Bediatuo, told the court that when the paper’s attention was drawn to certain inaccuracies in the article, a retraction was published. He went ahead to tender into evidence a photocopy of the edition in which the retraction story was carried on the front page of the paper.
He indicated that Dr Tony Aidoo misled officials of the Immigration Service when he refused to declare the real purpose for his visit to the UK, adding, “This in itself is an offence under the Constitution”.
Counsel for the defence appealed to the court for a short adjournment to enable them tender into evidence a document which they forgot to bring to court. This was opposed by counsel for the plaintiff but was overruled by the judge, Justice Benson.
Dr Tony Aidoo is suing the former publishers of The Statesman, Kinesic Communications Ltd, and the paper's Editor-in-Chief, Asare Otchere-Darko, over a publication of October 2003 in which the paper claimed he was "deported" from the United Kingdom for breaching that country’s immigration rules. He is demanding punitive damages.
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