Ghanaian business mogul, Ibrahim Mahama, has filed a GH¢10 million defamation lawsuit against Bright Simons, Vice President of the policy think tank IMANI Africa. The suit, filed at the Accra High Court, follows public statements Simons allegedly made that Mahama claims are defamatory and damaging to his reputation and business operations.
Details of the Lawsuit
The defamation suit stems from an article published on April 19, 2025, titled “Ghana Provides a Lesson in How Not to Nationalise a Gold Mine.” In the article, Simons criticised Ghana’s approach to the nationalisation of the Damang Gold Mine, allegedly suggesting that Mahama’s company, Engineers & Planners (E&P), benefitted through politically influenced decisions. The publication implied that E&P was financially strained due to the temporary suspension of operations by Gold Fields, and that Mahama may have used political leverage to influence decisions that led to commercial losses for the state.
In response, Mahama’s legal team from the Robert Smith Law Group demanded a retraction and apology within seven days. They stated that the claims made in the article were false, malicious, and injurious to the reputations of both Ibrahim Mahama and E&P, potentially affecting the company’s credibility with partners and investors.
Mahama’s Legal Demands
Among the reliefs sought, Mahama is asking the court to award GH¢10 million in damages for reputational harm. He is also demanding:
- A full-page public admission in the Daily Graphic newspaper acknowledging the falsehood of the statements, to be published six times over a period of three months.
- An unreserved retraction of the statements.
- A formal apology from Bright Simons.
The court has since directed Simons to file his defence within eight days of being served the writ.
This development has sparked conversations around media accountability, freedom of expression, and the responsibilities of public intellectuals in Ghana.