Kumasi (Ashanti),1 March ?99 ?A Kumasi High Court presided over by Mr Justice A. K. Abada today ruled that it has the jurisdiction to hear the libel suit filed by Nana Akwasi Agyemang, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive against Mr Ebo Quansah, Editor and Mr Dominic Jale, a reporter of the Ghanaian Chronicle for 500 million cedis damages. The court, therefore, dismissed an application by Mr Akoto Ampaw, counsel for the defendants and awarded 200,000 cedis cost against them.

It ordered that the case should take its normal course at the court. At an earlier sitting of the court on Thursday, January 28, this year, Mr Akoto Ampaw prayed the court to transfer the case to an Accra High Court because the court is not properly constituted to hear the libel suit since both defendants reside in Accra and carry on their business there. Last December, Nana Akwasi Agyemang filed the writ against the defendants for allegedly publishing in the November 20-27, 1998 edition of the Ghanaian Chronicle that he has diverted 10 Jumbo tyres belonging to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) purchased for the assembly's earth moving grader. In his statement of claim, Nana Agyemang said the publication did not only seriously or severely injure his credibility and reputation in his office as the KMA Chief Executive but his respected position as a royal of the Golden Stool of Ashanti. It also brought him (plaintiff) into scandal, odium, hatred, ridicule contempt and imputed criminality to his position.