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The Accra Fast- Track High Court has ordered General Portfolio Limited, publishers of The Chronicle newspaper, and three others to pay GH¢200,000 in general damages for defaming Mr Isaac Dzihlornu, an Immigration Officer.

In a default judgement last Friday, the court, presided over by Mr Justice Kwasi Anto Ofori-Attah, further directed the defendants to publish a retraction and an apology to the plaintiff with the same prominence the defamation publications received.

 The trial judge further restrained the defendants, their agents, assigns and servants from further publication of any defamation against the plaintiff.

Between October 7, and 11 2014, The Chronicle serialised some publications with headlines such as Security breach @ Kotoka International Airport; Immigration Officer preys on women using travel information; and ‘GIS Romeo swindles T’di Beauty’. 

Suit
In his writ against the newspaper, the plaintiff, an Assistant Immigration Control Officer of the Ghana Immigration Service, averred that the publications in the October 8, 2014 issue of  The Chronicle newspaper were capricious, malicious and full of professional deficiencies.

It said the publications had created a scar on the image of the plaintiff and that as result of the worldwide web publications of the defamatory words against plaintiff by the defendants, whenever his name Isaac Dzihlornu was entered in Google or any other search engine, the defamatory stories pop up as search results. 

It said the false and malicious publications had injured the image of plaintiff and brought his hard-won reputation into hatred, ridicule, odium, discredit, contempt, opprobrium and reproach and in consequence, his family, friends and acquaintance sneer at him, look down on him, shun his company and avoid contact with him.

However, after failing to file its defence, although defendants entered appearance, counsel for the plaintiff, Mr Leonard Sedzro, filed for the default judgement last Friday, which was subsequently granted.