The High Court in Accra has awarded GH¢5 million in general damages against Oliver Barker-Vormawor in a defamation suit filed by former National Security Minister Albert Kan Dapaah.

The ruling, delivered by Joseph Owusu Adu-Agyeman at the High Court of Ghana in Accra, also ordered Barker-Vormawor to pay GH¢100,000 in legal costs to Kan Dapaah.

In his judgment, Justice Adu-Agyeman granted nearly all the reliefs sought by the plaintiff but reduced the compensation amount.

“All the reliefs claimed by the Plaintiff (Kan Dapaah) are granted, except that the compensation claim of relief B (GH¢10M) is reduced to GH¢5M,” the judge ruled.

Before the court delivered its decision, lawyers for Barker-Vormawor, led by Baffour Gyau Bonsu Ashia, applied for the relisting of their Statement of Defence and Witness Statement, which had previously been struck out. The court dismissed the application, describing it as inconsistent with the rules of procedure.

Kan Dapaah had sued the activist for GH¢10 million in damages over claims that he had allegedly demanded or accepted a $1 million bribe. The former minister maintained that the allegation was false and defamatory.

The lawsuit dates back to the period when Kan Dapaah was serving as National Security Minister. He accused Barker-Vormawor, a leading member of the FixTheCountry Movement, of making public statements suggesting that officials within the National Security establishment and government had offered him money to halt his activism.

Kan Dapaah strongly denied the claims and proceeded to court, seeking GH¢10 million in general damages, including aggravated and exemplary damages.

He also requested a public apology and retraction of the statements, as well as a perpetual injunction restraining Barker-Vormawor from repeating similar allegations.

With the court’s latest ruling, Barker-Vormawor is liable to pay GH¢5 million in damages along with GH¢100,000 in costs, marking a significant legal victory for the former minister in the high-profile defamation dispute.