Minister for National Security, Albert Kan Dapaah, has applied to the High Court, requesting an order to allow substituted service in order to serve Oliver Barker-Vormawor, Asaase reports.

This application comes after several unsuccessful attempts by bailiffs to serve Barker-Vormawor.

Kan Dapaah has initiated a defamation suit against Oliver Barker-Vormawor, the convener of the #FixTheCountry movement. The suit is in response to claims made by Barker-Vormawor, alleging that the National Security Minister offered him a bribe of one million dollars ($1,000,000) to halt the #FixTheCountry demonstrations against the government.

The ex-parte motion, filed on October 19, is scheduled to be presented in court on Friday, October 27, 2023, by Kan Dapaah's lawyer, Bright Okyere Agyekum.

In an accompanying affidavit, Kan Dapaah explains, "It has not been possible to effect personal service on the defendant, and it has become impracticable to do so as I do not know the place of abode of the defendant, and attempts to effect service at his known workplace have also proved unsuccessful."

Kan Dapaah believes that "the defendant can be reached by posting/leaving copies of the Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim on the Notice Board of the court for a period of 14 days and through a single publication in the Daily Graphic."

Background:

On September 26, 2023, Minister Kan Dapaah instructed his counsel to issue a Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim against Oliver Barker-Vormawor for defamatory comments he made about the National Security Minister. Barker-Vormawor alleged that the government had offered money and positions to #FixTheCountry leaders in an attempt to halt their activism.

Kan Dapaah seeks from the court:

A declaration that the words uttered by the defendant are defamatory.

Recovery of ten million Ghana cedis (GHc 10,000,000) as general damages, including aggravated and/or exemplary damages for defamation.

An apology and retraction of the defamatory words.

A perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from repeating similar or other defamatory words. Costs incurred in the legal process.

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