A US court has awarded Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas a staggering $18 million in damages after a jury found that former Ghanaian MP Kennedy Agyapong defamed him.
The lawsuit stemmed from allegations Agyapong made following Anas’ 2018 BBC investigation that exposed widespread corruption in African football. In a 2021 podcast episode, Agyapong labeled Anas a “criminal” and even accused him of being linked to the 2019 murder of fellow investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein Suale.
Anas had previously lost a similar case in Ghana, but this time, he took the fight to New Jersey, USA, where Agyapong owns property. The jury in Essex County Superior Court unanimously ruled in favor of Anas, awarding him $18 million—$8 million of which was in punitive damages.
“Justice has prevailed. This victory is not just for me, but for truth, press freedom, and every journalist who risks everything to expose corruption,” Anas declared after the ruling.
Agyapong’s lawyers argued that the case had no grounds in the US and that his remarks were mere hyperbole, but the court dismissed their claims.
Meanwhile, Ghanaian police have arrested a suspect in connection with Ahmed Suale’s assassination. The suspect is accused of leaking photos of Suale to a prominent Ghanaian politician before his murder, a crime that has been linked to the same corruption exposé.
Despite the threats and attacks, Anas remains undeterred in his fight against corruption, vowing to continue holding powerful figures accountable.
