A national Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has indicated he’s prepared to drop a court suit against his fellow party member and Eastern Regional Chairman, Bismark Tawiah Boateng.
He sued Mr Tawiah Boateng and six others over accusations that he (Ampofo) leaked the “famous” Dr Kwesi Botchway report.
The libel suit named the Eastern Regional Chairman of the NDC, Mr Bismark Tawiah Boateng; the Daily Guide newspaper and its publisher, Western Publications; Mr Fortune Alimi, the Editor of the newspaper; Mr William Yaw Owusu, a reporter of the newspaper, an Accra–based radio station, Okay FM, and a presenter at the station, Kwame Nkrumah (aka Tikesie) as defendants.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo has prayed an Accra High Court to order the defendants to pay him damages of GH¢10 million.
The former Local Government Minister, appearing on Starr Chat on Starr FM Wednesday, had earlier maintained a hard-line during an interview with Host Bola Ray insisting that he’s gone to court to clear his name as he knows nothing about an alleged leakage of the classified document.
“I’m in court I thought it was a serious allegation, I do not even have access to the report. Only a copy of the report was presented to the General Secretary, and it generated a lot of controversy when some media houses, Joy FM, Daily Guide and others were serializing it, it created a lot of hullabaloo. So to have come out at that time to say I’d leaked the report I thought he had crossed the red line. In fact the first time I went to court was 7-=the election petition hearing, even though I come from the Akyem area I’m not a litigant. I decided that I had to set the records straight.
“When serious allegations like this are made against you and this is at the core of your integrity, and then it’s spread on the internet, whatsapp and all over the world, the only thing you can do to extricate yourself and to clear your name is to go through the due process.”
When Bola Ray chipped in and said “I know you’re a Bible believing Christian, many will say vengeance is the Lord’s, wouldn’t you consider that and let this matter go”? Hon. Ofosu Ampofo responded “I’ve given several, several, several to the Lord, this one, no…In future if you’re not careful and these things are documented, it cam even affect your children so I just wanted to clear this once and for all for the truth to come out and then I’ll be free. It took me a lot of consultation to arrive at that decision.”
However, Mr Ofosu Ampofo’s heart was touched and soften his stance when a caller during the phone in segment, begged him as a Christian to drop the case reminding Mr Ofosu Ampofo that the Bible has asked Christians to forgive others who have sinned against them until seventy times seven.
He then responded saying “They always say the voice of the people of the voice of God, I’ve listened to him we’ll see how we’ll proceed. There has been some efforts from somewhere, we’re looking at this possibility. So I’ll consult my lawyers and see how we’ll go about it. I’m not a litigant, I don’t want to be one even though I come from an area noted for litigation.”