LCI Defamation Case Court Adjourns Hearing Over Manassehs Illness

The High Court has adjourned the case in which Lighthouse Chapel International ( LCI ) has sued Manasseh Azure, Sulemana Braimah, Edwin Appiah and Media Foundation for West Africa for defamation, over health reasons.

Manasseh Azure, who has mounted his defence and in the witness box was expected to be cross-examined on 22nd July 2024.

However, when the case was called, Manasseh said he was sick and feeling dizzy.

His lawyer Sampson Lardi Anyenini informed the court that, about an hour before the case was called, he got a message that Manasseh had seen a doctor and had been diagnosed with an ailment and given medication which was making him feel dizzy, so he was unable to attend court to be cross-examined. He further informed the court that he had the medical report on his phone and he could show it to the court if he needed to do so.

LCI sued Manasseh Azure, the Media Foundation for West Africa, its director Sulemana Braimah and Edwin Appiah for publication of three articles titled Darkness in a Lighthouse saying the attacks on the church and its founder Bishop Dag Heward-Mills are unwarranted, unfounded and defamatory.

Counsel for LCI, Mr. Kweku Paintsil began cross examing Manasseh on 18th June 2024 during which Manasseh admitted that all the defendants were on 25th October 2022 convicted for contempt of court in respect of the three articles in contention before the court.

Manasseh also admitted that the defendants published an article titled “Evidence: How Lighthouse Chapel Incriminated itself and SSNIT Looked Away”.

He further admitted that this article was published in response to a SSNIT report exonerating LCI of allegations of non-payment of SSNIT contributions by 6 former pastors of the church. These former pastors are Larry Odonkor, Emmanuel Oko Mensah, Edward Laryea, Seth Duncan, Edem Amankwah and Faith Makafui Fiakojo.

In response to a defence that Sulemana Braimah, the 3rd defendant has no role in the publications of the Fourth Estate including the articles in contention, Mr. Painstil confronted Manasseh with Exhibits showing that Sulemana Braimah published those articles on his own Facebook wall and asked Manasseh to confirm that those exhibits were publications by Sulemana Braimah. Manasseh admitted it.

Mr. Kweku Painstil on his part prayed the court to allow him to replace 3 pages of the exhibits he had filed. He explained that some portions of those pages were not clear. He said the portions which did not show clearly were captions that accompanied pictures of LCI church buildings in Part 2 of the articles . He said the captions under those pictures were very crucial in establishing the case of defamation against the defendants.

A witness for LCI earlier testified in court that the defendants put the pictures of those buildings in the articles and published that LCI lured Larry Odonkor, Edward Laryea and Seth Duncan to build those buildings with their personal resources and the church afterwards forcibly took over those buildings from them. He said those buildings were put up by the church and not those former pastors.

He added that the defendants have no evidence before the court that they were built with the personal resources of these former pastors. In the case of Larry Odonkor the witness said the church building described in the article as a school built by Larry Odonkor in Wa was in fact built by the church long after Larry Odonkor had left the Wa mission.

The presiding judge Justice Joseph Adu Owusu asked counsel for the defendants if he had any objections to the replacement of those 3 pages and he said he had no objection. The court then agreed that the pages be substituted. The judge also asked Mr. Sampson Lardi Anyenini whether he will like the witness of LCI to re-enter the box so he cross examines him on the captions under the three pictures but Mr. Anyenini said no.

The case has been adjourned to 13th November, 2024 for continuation of cross examination.Philipa Atanga/Court Reporter/Despite Media