I got word this afternoon via social media that the brother of Ghana’s President, and the Chief Executive of mining services firm, Engineers & Planners, has sued me for GH¢10 million, the equivalent of about $1 million on Ghana’s frothy forex market.

What is the source of his ire? He takes strong objections to remarks I made in an essay scrutinising and criticising how the government went about its plan to nationalise a gold mine currently run by Gold Fields, a large mining concern.

Here are the specific remarks he doesn’t like:

Within these blobs of text, he considers the following opinions to be defamatory of his good name and that of his company:

After carefully examining the suit with my lawyers, we have decided to vigorously defend the court proceedings for the following reasons.

My defence is so plain and straightforward, and so without any shred of guile, that I intend to provide the highlights right away. I have no interest in waiting to ambush counsel for Mr. Mahama at trial.

It is vitally important that public scrutiny is heightened when a company run by a wealthy and powerful individual like Mr. Ibrahim Mahama, whose brother is none other than the sitting President, is placed in a position where it could continue to provide mining services to a nationalised mine. Especially when the service rates involved in such a situation would have to be set in the best commercial interests of the Republic.

However, the fear of lawsuits has created an atmosphere of censorship in Ghana whenever the interests of powerful and wealthy companies are placed in the spotlight. I for one do not intend to honour this tradition. It does not serve as a good example to the next generation of public interest analysts and activists in Ghana if those of us who have been in this trade for nearly two decades buckle from covering the affairs of the rich and powerful. And only because such individuals can afford to hire lawyers to file random lawsuits every time their name is mentioned in connection with important public policy issues in a tone they don’t like.

Accountability, as I like to say, is a marathon. We shall continue to provide fair, objective, and unflinching coverage of the business affairs of Mr. Ibrahim Mahama and Engineers & Planners whenever the public interest demands so.

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Bright Simons is the honorary Vice President of IMANI Africa

The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.