Court Slaps Influencer With Ghc100,000 Defamatory Fine Over Anonymous Post

A popular social media influencer, Francis Kennedy Ocloo, has been ordered by an Accra High Court to pay one Effua Sintim a whopping Ghc100, 000 for reportedly defaming her on social media.

The fine is punishment for a series of publications on Mr. Ocloo’s Facebook wall that the court held attacked the character of Ms. Sintim even though Mr. Ocloo argues he never mentioned her name.

In an October 26 ruling, the court also ordered Mr. Ocloo to delete all the defamatory posts and publish an apology for 30 days. He is also to pay an additional cost of Ghc10, 000 to the woman.

Mr. Ocloo has since been protesting. “I defended myself that to the best of my knowledge I have not made any defamatory statements of anyone, I still stand by that. Indeed, it is noteworthy to say that the plaintiff admitted under cross-examination that I did not, have not mentioned her name anywhere on this space,” Ocloo protested.

“Indeed statements I have published here, every now and then people come and ask me who is it about. This means that a single post I make more humans can claim ownership; it could be one of such. I have communicated to my Lawyers on the next action to take and would brief you in due course,” he posted on Facebook shortly after the ruling.

According to the facts of the case, Mr. Ocloo published a series of posts on his Facebook wall from May 3 to 28, 2017, where he described an unnamed person as a “bloodsucker Gey Hey female who uses her looks to extort money from unsuspecting men.”

Although he never mentions Plaintiff’s name in any of the ten Facebook posts, the court ruled that he gave many particulars which led many Facebookers to conclude that Plaintiff was the person whom Defendant was referring to in the posts.