Alleged lavish Miami trip: Sammy Gyamfi sues Asaase Radio, Wilberforce Asare, two others for defamation

National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has filed a defamation suit against Asaase Radio and three other defendants at the High Court in Accra.

According to documents filed at the court, Mr. Gyamfi is suing Asaase Radio, its journalist Wilberforce Asare, ABC News and its journalist Michael Afriyie for publishing and republishing defamatory statements about him.

The suit alleges that on June 30, 2024, the defendants published an online news story which contained defamatory statements about Mr. Gyamfi.

Specifically, the story claimed Mr. Gyamfi blew party cash on a lavish two-week trip to Miami with his wife, staying at the Betsy Hotel and paying $3,000 a day, totaling $42,000.

Mr. Gyamfi denies the claims, saying he has "NEVER been to the said Betsy Hotel in Miami, Florida in the United States of America" and has "never paid or misappropriated US$3000 a day on hotel accommodation or US$42,000 on hotel accommodation over a two-week period."

According to the court documents, Mr. Gyamfi is seeking "a declaration that the news report/story authored, published/republished, circulated, distributed and/or otherwise caused to be published/republished, circulated, and/or distributed by the Defendants herein...is defamatory."

He is also demanding retractions, unqualified apologies in the media, damages of GH¢10 million for "profound distress, anxiety, embarrassment, hatred, ridicule, derision, and public odium" caused by the publication.

Sammy Gyamfi's lawyer, Richard Nunekpeku, said his client's reputation has been ruined by the "false and defamatory statements" and the suit is to remedy the harm done.