Shatta Wale, a popular dancehall singer, and his former manager, Lawrence Asiamah Hanson, aka Bulldog, have struck an agreement in principle to resolve the defamation claim out of court.

On April 18, 2023, Shatta Wale’s lawyers asked for a month for further negotiations after Bulldog’s lawyers stated the parties had failed to reach a deal.

After a month, Shatta Wale’s lawyers claimed in court that the parties had reached an agreement in principle on settlement terms.

As a result, he asked the court for a month’s adjournment to allow the parties to write the conditions of settlement, which he then submitted to the court for adoption as a consent judgement.

The matter was deferred by the High Court in Accra, presided over by Justice Joseph Adu Agyemang Owusu, after counsel for Bulldog validated information presented to the court that the parties had achieved settlement terms in principle.

Murtala Inusah, EIB Network’s Legal Affairs Correspondent, has learned that one of the stipulations of the settlement includes a public apology to Bulldog.

Background

On March 7, the dancehall performer asked the court, through his lawyer, for an out-of-court settlement, which was granted.

However, when the parties appeared in court on Tuesday, April 18, they were unable to reach an agreement.

Dr Justice Srem Sai, counsel for the Plaintiff (Bulldog), stated that discussions had failed and that the parties were returning to court for further instructions.

However, Shatta Wale’s counsel, Lawyer Selasie Atuwo, stated that both parties are willing to settle the lawsuit, but the difficulty is the sum.

As a result, he requested an adjournment so that the parties could try to resolve the situation.

“The will to settle the case is there for both sides but the issue now is about the quantum of amount. If we may be given a date to try to settle,” lawyer Selasie Atuwo told the court

While adjourning the matter to May 16, the court, presided over by Justice Joseph Adu Agyemang Owusu, advised them to try to settle the case before the next court meeting.

Shatta Wale was sued in court for defamation by Lawrence Asiamah Hanson, popularly known as Bulldog, and the plaintiff is seeking damages for the alleged defamation as well as the defendant’s intentional dissemination of a lie against him.

“The series of publications that Defendant has made and continues to make about the Plaintiff are actuated by plain malice,” the writ filed by Bulldog’s Lawyer, Justice Srem-Sai said.

Reliefs

The plaintiff is seeking the following reliefs:

1. A declaration of the Court that the series of publications made by the Defendant as particularised in the Statement of Claim are defamatory to the Plaintiff.

2. A declaration of the Court that the series of publications made by the Defendant in the Statement of Claim are malicious.
3. An order of the Court directed at the Defendant to on all his social media pages or accounts, make a publication on seven (7) consecutive days of an unqualified retraction of and unreserved apology for the defamatory words that the Defendant has published about the Plaintiff, such retraction and apology to be vetted and approved by the Plaintiff’s lawyers.
4. An order of the Court for perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant, his agents, workmen, assigns and servants from publishing or further publishing any defamatory words against the Plaintiff.
5. General damages for defamation.
6. Special damages for defamation.
7. Punitive damages for malicious publication of falsehood against the Plaintiff.
8. Cost, and
9. Any other orders or remedies that the Court may deem fit

Subject matter

On November 02, 2022, Shatta Wale was said to have made a publication on his Facebook page implicating his former manager, Bulldog in the murder of Fennec Okyere among others.

Upon this the Ghana Police Service opened investigations into the defendant’s publications.

Fennec Okyere, the manager of the controversial musician Kwaw Kese, was murdered by unknown gunmen on Thursday, March 13, 2014, at his Manet Gardens apartment on the Spintex Road in Accra. He died at the age of 31.

The Police Criminal Investigative Department (CID) named Lawrence Nana Asiama Hanson as a suspect in the death of Fennec Okyere.

This was due to Bullgod (then known as Bulldog), who had a history of feuding with Fennec Okyere, allegedly threatening him in an interview.

Bulldog was discharged by the courts in 2017 after the Attorney-General advised that there was no evidence against the accused.