GENERAL PORTFOLIO LTD. AND OTHERS V. GHANA NATIONAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION

ASARE KORANG J.

Proceeding by an ordinary writ of summons unaccompanied by a statement of claim, the plaintiff-respondents (hereinafter referred to as the plaintiff-corporation) filed a suit in this court on 23 April 1992 against the defendants for:

(a) “damages of ¢2 billion for defamation of the plaintiff-corporation and a number of its officers particularly its chairman and acting chief executive consisting of libellous statements contained in a series of articles and an editorial appearing in the pages of The Ghanaian Chronicle newspaper as follows: (i) 6-12 April issue (Vol. 1, No. 31) ‘TSATSU TSIKATA AND THE MESS AT G.N.P.C.’ (ii) 13-19 April issue (Vol. 1, No. 32) Editorial ‘PROBE G.N.P.C. BEFORE INDEMNITY HOUR DAWNS.’ (iii) 20-26 April issue (Vol. 1, No. 33) ‘TO SIR WITH LOVE’; and

(b) perpetual injunction to restrain the defendants, their servants, agents and assigns from repeating the said libellous statements or uttering or publishing any other like or similar libel of the pl…