Investigative Journalist Manasseh Azure has disclosed that the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Asante Appeatu discontinued his case because he does not have belief in Ghana’s judiciary.
On Monday, the former Inspector General of Police discontinued the defamation case he filed against Assin Central Member of Parliament Kennedy Agyapong television station presenter Justice Kwaku Annan.
Kwaku Annan on “The Seat” show on June 16, 2021, made some defamatory statements against the person of the former IGP.
In a writ dated July 2, 2021, the former IGP said the words used by Mr Kweku Annan “meant and were understood to mean that;
(i) The plaintiff was and is a fence for notorious criminals both in Ghana and Nigeria.
(ii) The plaintiff harbours criminals.
(iii) The plaintiff is a criminal who has been working in cahoots with hardened international criminals to unleash terror on Ghanaians.
(iv) The plaintiff is/was on the payroll of top criminals in Ghana and as such slept on his duty as IGP and he refused/neglected to cause the arrest and prosecution of the criminals.”
Mr Asante-Apeatu told the court, “he has been inundated with numerous calls from professional associates, journalists, social relations and friends and outright strangers and he has to answer very mortifying questions.”
But in hearing the case it is reported that Justice Ekow Baiden questioned the Lawyer for the former IGP whether he knew the people he was dealing with.
“Counsel, you say today s your birthday, if I were you, I will use my birthday to write a letter to the registry and let Clark together with the court look for him and service him. You don’t know the people you are dealing with.”
The IGP after this encounter in court decided to discontinue the case.
But reacting to the discontinuation, Manasseh Azure who is an investigative Journalist said the former Inspector General Of Police believes he has a strong case but does not trust to get justice hence his discontinuation of the case.
He said in a post shared on social media that “
Former IGP, David Asante Apeatu, has discontinued the defamation case. My sources close to him say Mr. Apeatu’s decision is due to some pronouncements made by the judge in open court the last time the case was called. According to my sources, the former IGP believes he has a strong case, but he has lost faith in the judiciary and does not want to waste his time on the matter. We are not in normal times in Ghana. The Chief Justice should be worried about this development”.
