A group calling itself the Concerned Lawyers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has issued a stern 7-day ultimatum to renowned journalist and lawyer Samson Lardy Anyenini, demanding a public retraction of statements they deem unethical and defamatory, or face legal consequences.
In a press statement released Sunday, the group accused Mr. Anyenini — host of the popular Newsfile program on Joy News — of persistently using his platform to engage in what they describe as “unfounded, biased, and slanderous” commentary against Hon. Kennedy Agyapong and the Ghanaian judiciary.
The lawyers, led by William Kusi, argue that Mr. Anyenini has crossed ethical lines as both a lawyer and journalist. They allege that he has conflated legal analysis with inflammatory rhetoric and portrayed Hon. Agyapong in a “negative and prejudicial light” without offering him a fair chance to respond.
Specifically, the group claims that Mr. Anyenini made comments suggesting that judges were complicit in acts of corruption, and that he likened a ruling by Ghana’s Supreme Court to uncivilized standards in comparison to U.S. judicial decisions.
“Such conduct is wholly inconsistent with the ethical standards expected of a journalist, and more critically, a lawyer of Mr. Anyenini’s standing,” the statement read. “By making unsubstantiated accusations on a public platform without offering a right of reply, Mr. Anyenini has fallen short of the standards required by both the Ghana Journalists Association Code of Ethics and the Legal Profession Rules.”
The lawyers have given Mr. Anyenini seven days to retract the statements in question. Failure to do so, they warn, will result in four key actions:
1. A formal petition to the National Media Commission (NMC) for violations of journalistic ethics.
2. A petition to the General Legal Council for professional misconduct.
3. A letter to Multimedia Group Limited urging them to address alleged misuse of their platform.
4. Legal action in court to compel a retraction.
While stressing that their statement is not an attempt to suppress free speech, the Concerned NPP Lawyers insist it is a call for “responsible speech” and accountability from public figures.
“We will not sit idly by while our courts, our clients, and our country are dragged through the mud by biased media actors abusing the trust of the public,” they concluded.
Mr. Anyenini has yet to respond publicly to the statement as of the time of this publication.
