On Wednesday, August 7, 2024, an Instagram account named "GHANAPOSTS," managed by one Kwesi based in Belgium, posted a defamatory story falsely attributed to Isabel Ramirez of SouthwarkNews in the United Kingdom.

The fabricated story accused respected London and Takoradi-based businessman Mr. Jude Teddy Baffoe of being under investigation in England for allegedly registering 34 companies with the intent to defraud taxpayers. The story further misrepresented Mr. Baffoe’s residence, stating that he lived in Amsterdam when he actually resided in Haarlem.

This story is entirely false, baseless, and without merit. Mr. Jude Teddy Baffoe is neither a convicted criminal nor under investigation in any country. He is not involved in, nor the subject of, any criminal legal proceedings.

Upon learning of the defamatory publication, Mr. Baffoe's legal team immediately contacted SouthwarkNews for clarification. The publication confirmed that no such story had been written by Isabel Ramirez, confirming it as FAKE NEWS. Following this, a cease-and-desist letter and a demand notice for retraction and apology were issued to "GHANAPOSTS."

While Kwesi, the operator of the page, removed the post after intervention from a mutual friend, he refused to publicly retract the false news or issue an apology, absurdly claiming that GHANAPOSTS does not consider itself a publisher because it only reposts content sent by others.

Further investigation has revealed that the false publication on GHANAPOSTS was instigated by a former friend of Mr. Baffoe, Mr. Tennyson Quarshie-Ankrah, also known as Mr. ROCWEL.

Mr. Baffoe has already sued Mr. ROCWEL in the High Court in Accra in a separate multi-million cedi defamation case. A court order obtained from the High Court and served upon the social media company in the Maame matter revealed that the IP address evidence based on which Tennyson accused Mr. Baffoe of complicity in the said matter was fake and cannot be relied upon.

The social media company distanced itself from the fake disclosure Tennyson brandished on Snapchat as his evidence. Mr. Baffoe believes that Mr. ROCWEL’s actions are part of a broader scheme to tarnish his reputation ahead of the final determination of the ongoing High Court case. In light of the GHANAPOSTS incident, Mr. Baffoe has instructed his solicitors in Belgium to handle the matter according to Belgian law, where such offenses are criminal rather than civil.

Additionally, Mr. Baffoe has initiated criminal proceedings against Mr. ROCWEL in England for malicious communications related to this case.

Attached to this press release are screenshots of the defamatory posts, communications between Mr. Baffoe and Kwesi of GHANAPOSTS—wherein Kwesi privately admits to posting the false news and apologized but refused to retract the statement publicly—and an email confirmation from SouthwarkNews debunking the story.

Mr. Baffoe urges the public to exercise caution when interacting with GHANAPOSTS, which has proven to disseminate fake news while refusing to take responsibility when confronted with incontrovertible evidence.