Private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has described the judgement of the New Jersey court that awarded Anas Aremeyaw Anas $18 million in damages in a defamation suit against Kennedy Agyapong as a great win for the press.

Martin Kpebu said the ruling is critically important for journalists and analysts who hold powerful politicians and influential people accountable.

“I will say that this judgement in favour of Anas Aremeyaw Anas is a shot in the arm. It is a shot in the arm because you see it is going to motivate him to keep doing what he knows best. That is the investigative journalism and we all know how Ghana has benefitted immensely from his various works,” he said in an exclusive with GhanaWeb on March 19, 2025.

He added that the judgement would now set a boundary to what he termed as acceptable behaviour and ensure that those who abuse journalists are held accountable.

“It is a good motivation to journalists in general, that is to say that journalists will know that. alright, as they go about their work, even if they get defamed, they will get justice either in Ghana or outside Ghana,” he said.

A jury in the Essex County Superior Court in New Jersey, on Tuesday, found former Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, liable for defamation and awarded Anas $18 million in damages.

The judgement comes after four years of legal battle in which Anas accused the former MP and Frederick Asamoah of making false statements about him on a popular online program “The Daddy Fred Show,” targeting Ghanaians in the United States.

Reacting to the judgement, the investigative journalist said the court ruling is a powerful message to Ghanaian politicians that the media cannot be taken for granted.

VPO/AE