By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja
Court of Appeal, Abuja division, has ordered retrial of Lai Mohammed in the dafamation suit filed against him by Raymond Dokpesi.
Justice Abraham Goergewill dismissed the decision of the lower court, which held that Dokpesi did not produce enough evidence to prove that the words stated by Lai Mohammed were actually defamatory.
Dokpesi alleged that on March 30, 2019 during a press conference, the Information Minister and Culture, Lai Mohammed
and the Attorney-General defamed his character by the inclusion of his name as number four on the treasury looters’ list.
According to him, the statement portrayed him as “a corrupt and crooked person, a dishonest man and a thief”.
The Daarsat Boss also claimed that the minister’s action negatively affected his reputation and his image which had made him suffer considerable distress and ridicule in the political corridor.
The Appeal court in it’s judgment
held that the decision of the lower court was erroneous.
Consequently, it ordered that the re trial be done by any other Judge excepted Justice Olukayode Adeniyiof the federal capital territory high court.
Recall that a federal capital territory high court, dismissed the suit against the federal government in a N5 billion defamation suit instituted against Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed by chairman emeritus Daar communication plc, Raymond Dokpesi.
The presiding judge , Justice Olukayode Adeniyi who gave the Judgement held that the testimony of the witnesses were of no probative value.
This statement did not go down well with Dokpesi and he proceeded to court to seek redress
.
During the hearing of the matter, Dokpesi called 8 witnesses including himself and all confirmed that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed defamed Dokpesi as a treasury looters .
Delivering the judgement , justice Adeniyi held that the witness statements were of no probative value . He further held that there were deficiency as the witnesses gave evidence on slander only and not on defamation.
And non of the witnesses gave actual evidence Of the said purported statement more so the Exhibit was not properly demonstrated .
The suit was therefore dismissed for lacking in merit
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