Controversial Ghanaian Dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale born Charles Nii Armah Mensah, has been granted approval by an Accra High Court to settle the defamation action brought by his former manager Lawrence Asiamah Hanson, also known as Bulldog, outside of court.
Shatta Wale was earlier sued by Bulldog on grounds of defamation.
Bulldog, the plaintiff, is seeking damages for what he claims to be defamation as well as the same for the defendant’s allegedly deliberate publishing of false information about him.
Plaintiff’s attorneys, lead by Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, informed the court in court on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, that the parties have begun settlement negotiations and will require a one-month adjournment.
After hearing from the parties, Judge Joseph Adu Agyemang Owusu, who is presiding over General Jurisdiction 13 of the Accra High Court, urged them to resolve the dispute out of court.
On November 2, 2022, Shatta Wale published a statement on his Facebook page accusing Bullgod, his previous manager, of killing Kwaw Kese’s former manager Fennec Okyere and other individuals.
On March 13, 2014, unidentified intruders assassinated him at his Manet Gardens home in Accra’s Spintex Road neighbourhood.
The plaintiff is seeking the following reliefs
A declaration of the Court that the series of publications made by the defendant as particularised in the Statement of Claim are defamatory to the plaintiff.
A declaration of the court that the series of publications made by the defendant in the Statement of Claim are malicious.
An order of the Court directed at the defendant to on all his social media pages or accounts, make a publication on seven (7) consecutive days of an unqualified retraction of and unreserved apology for the defamatory words that the Defendant has published about the Plaintiff, such retraction and apology to be vetted and approved by the Plaintiff’s lawyers.
An order of the Court for perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his agents, workmen, assigns and servants from publishing or further publishing any defamatory words against the Plaintiff.
General damages for defamation.
Special damages for defamation.
Punitive damages for malicious publication of falsehood against the Plaintiff.