The Court of Appeal has thrown out a fresh bid by failed NPP flagbearer candidate and former Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong, to halt the defamation case filed against him by Kwesi Twum, CEO of the Multimedia Group, together with the company and Joy FM.
Yesterday morning, a panel of Justices: Angelina Mensah Homiah, Emmanuel S. Amedane, and Douglas Seidu dismissed Mr. Agyapong’s application for stay of proceedings.
The Court reasoned that even if the High Court trial proceeds to judgment, such judgment would not be rendered nugatory should his interlocutory appeal succeed.
Lawyers for the Plaintiffs, led by Samson Lardy Anyenini, had urged the Court to impose hefty costs describing the application as part of deliberate delay tactics that ought to be punished. Counsel for Mr. Agyapong, Raphael Agyapong, pleaded for a reduction, and the Court eventually awarded GHC 10,000 against the former MP.
This marks the second failed attempt by Mr. Agyapong to stall the trial. His earlier application for stay of proceedings, filed in 2023 after the trial began, was dismissed by the High Court for being frivolous.
The defamation suit stems from allegations made by Mr. Agyapong in July 2021, when he repeated claims including that the Multimedia Group had demanded money from the government and harbored a vendetta against it. The company described these as false and defamatory statements and announced its decision to sue, citing reckless attacks on its reputation and journalists.
The Plaintiffs argue that the High Court was right to admit evidence of similar defamatory comments made by Mr. Agyapong in 2011, for which he retracted and apologised, but repeated in 2021. They contend that the repetition compelled them to sue, making the earlier conduct relevant to the case.
On 27th January 2026, the case resumed before a new judge Justice Sedina Agbemava. The Plaintiffs and their counsel were present, but the Defendants and their lawyers were absent. The court adjourned proceedings to 11th February 2026 when it adopted prior testimony and continuation of trial.
With the Court of Appeal now dismissing the stay application, the path is clear for the High Court to continue hearing the substantive defamation claims against Mr. Agyapong.
