Investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas has has been awarded $18 million in damages in a defamation lawsuit against former Assin Central Member of Parliament(MP) Kennedy Agyapong, and Frederick Asamoah, a social media commentator.

The judgment by the Superior Court in New Jersey follows a lengthy legal battle over the defamatory statements made by the defendants during a 2021 interview broadcast on social media.

This was during an episode of “The Daddy Fred Show,” a popular online program targeting Ghanaian audiences in the United States.

The victory at the US Court was initiated after the journalist suffered a setback at the Accra High Court in 2018.

Anas had sought GH¢25 million in damages, citing defamatory materials published by Agyapong.

However, the court presided over by  Justice Eric Baah, ruled against Anas on March 15, 2023, stating that his investigative methods resembled “investigative terrorism” rather than legitimate journalism.

On May 17, 2022, another lawsuit was filed in the Essex County Superior Court, accused Kennedy Agyapong and Frederick Asamoah of making false and damaging statements.

The interview, which was streamed live on Facebook and other platforms, garnered over 29,000 views and contained several defamatory claims against Anas.

Anas, an investigative journalist known for exposing corruption and human rights abuses, argued that the defendants’ statements were part of a calculated effort to tarnish his reputation and discredit his work.

The lawmaker accused Anas of being a criminal, a thief, and responsible for the murder of his collegaue, Ahmed Suale, an undercover journalist who worked on the explosive documentary “Number 12.”

The court document claimed that Kennedy Agyapong, during the interview, made several false statements, including:

The court awarded Anas a total of $18 million in damages.

Meanwhile, lawyers for Kennedy Agyapong have applied for remittitur – a reduction in the amount of damages awarded.

The court concluded that what Anas is engaged in is not investigative journalism but rather “investigative terrorism” and that Mr Agyapong was justified in calling Anas “a blackmailer, corrupt, an extortionist, and evil”.