Prez. Mahama’s younger brother sues Wontumi

• Posted on December 1, 2014December 1, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Ibrahim Mahama, younger brother of President John Mahama, has filed a writ against the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Wontumi, at a high court in Kumasi, over a defamation charge.

Mr. Ibrahim is of the view that the NPP guru had defamed him by peddling falsehoods about him in public in April this year, so the court should order Wontumi to compensate him with a staggering GH¢5 million.

The presiding judge, Justice Ringo Azumah, settled on December 11, 2014 for the hearing of the case. This was after the counsel for Ibrahim, Charles Zwennes, had called for an expeditious trial.

The court sat last Friday ostensibly for the court to give direction about how the case would go. It therefore did not go into details about the matter.

Case                                                                                                                                                 Mr. Zwennes in an interview with the media, claimed that Wontumi, whilst addressing his party faithful in April this year, accused Ibrahim of siphoning proceeds from the fuel price increases.

According to him, the NPP capo also alleged that Mr. Ibrahim and his brother, the president, usually used the monies stolen from the national purse on luxurious holidays in South Africa.

He noted that Wontumi’s comments were baseless and full of falsehood, hence Ibrahim’s decision to haul him (Wontumi) to court to seek justice, stressing they were in court for a fair trial

Wontumi Absent
Mr. Ibrahim Mahama was in court, surrounded by his close aides and
scores of National Democratic Congress (NDC) functionaries in Kumasi,
but Wontumi, the defendant in the case, was conspicuously missing in
court.

Wontumi’s lawyer, Kwabena Atta Adjei, who was holding brief for Egbert Faibille Jnr, explained to the court that he (Wontumi) was seriously engaged at Tema so one Edward Akuoko was representing him in court.

Mahama’s Lawyer
Charles Zwennes told the court that the case had been delayed for sometime considering the fact that Wontumi reportedly passed those false comments in public way back in April.

He complained bitterly that Wontumi’s harsh comments had paved way or
opened the floodgates for other people to hurl insults and disparaging remarks against his client, stressing the need for the case to be settled immediately.

Mr. Zwennes told the packed court that his client had two witnesses who were ready to testify to the eight issues which Mr. Mahama had indicated in his writ of summons before the court.

Mr. Mahama and his supporters arrived at the court around 8:30 am and
they suffered the ordeal of having to wait for several hours before the case was eventually called around 11:50 am.

In his supporters were KMA boss Kojo Bonsu and known NDC members in Kumasi like Francis Dodovi, Nana Mensah Bonsu aka ‘Atiki’, Napoleon Ade, Forty and Appiah Stadium.

Wontumi’s Lawyer                                                                                                               Kwabena Atta Adjei, in a chat with the media before the case was called, said they were in court to apply for the direction that the case must take so the media should not hype the issue since it is not anything extraordinary -Ibrahim Laments

Curious people in the city that got wind of Ibrahim’s presence at the court suddenly crammed the premises of the facility just to catch a glimpse of him. Some of the people, perhaps, those who were seeing him for the first time, were seen pointing their hands at Mr. Ibrahim.

Speaking to the media, Mr. Ibrahim Mahama said he was sad about the current trend whereby people could insult and peddle falsehood about innocent people, stressing that the trend was in both political divides and must stop.

“We are not setting good example for the future generation. Noble people in society and the elderly are always being insulted by children on radio. This behaviour must stop,” he cautioned.

Mr. Ibrahim posited that he decided to sue Wontumi for the huge amount of money so as to serve as a deterrent to those that insult people anyhow on radio.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi