Latest news with #Agyapong
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ghanaian journalist's $18m defamation award slashed to $500
A US court has slashed the $18m (£13.6m) awarded to Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas in a defamation case to $500. Former Ghanaian MP Kennedy Agyapong was ordered to pay the huge sum after a jury found he had defamed Anas by calling him a "criminal", and of being behind the murder of a fellow journalist. Following a request by Agyapong's legal team for the amount to be reduced, a judge in a New Jersey court has ruled that $18m was "disproportionate and legally unsustainable", the former MP said on X. Anas said he would appeal against the ruling, despite his Tiger Eye P.I. media group previously saying that the case was never about money. The journalist began legal action against Agyapong after the ex-MP made the defamatory remarks following his investigation into football corruption in Ghana and elsewhere. Anas had filed an initial case in Ghana where he lost, with the judge describing his work not as journalism but as "investigative terrorism". He subsequently brought a different case before a court in the US, where Agyapong owns a home and where the ex-MP was when he recorded the defamatory interview on the Daddy Fred Show podcast, according to court papers. Agyapong's lawyers had argued that their client's comments were simply opinions and therefore should not be subject to defamation. However, the eight-panel jury in New Jersey's Essex County Superior Court disagreed, ruling unanimously in Anas' favour in March. At the time, he told the BBC the ruling was a "vindication of what I have always preached". "This goes a long way to encourage African journalists across the continent there's a need for us to be resilient. There's a need for us to have a stomach to take the heat," Anas said. After succeeding in his attempt to reduce the defamation award, Agyapong has committed himself to "upholding the values of integrity" and defending "truth and accountability in public life". The journalist is well known for masking his identity by wearing beaded face coverings. He has also won multiple international awards for his reporting and has vowed to continue fighting corruption and holding wrongdoers accountable. Ahmed Suale, an investigative journalist who was shot dead in 2019, was a colleague of Anas who had also investigated corruption and had worked with Tiger Eye P.I.. Anas has previously told the BBC that he was still grieving the death of his former colleague. Reporter who sued MP and won $18m hopeful he will pocket the money Murder in Accra: The life and death of Ahmed Hussein-Suale Anas Aremeyaw Anas investigates football in Africa Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
Hamilton Spectator
05-05-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Rapid access to psychiatry program wins praise from doctors, patients in Halifax
HALIFAX - A pioneering Nova Scotia program that provides patients with basic psychiatric diagnoses is winning praise for slashing wait times for some people struggling to get help. Dr. Vincent Agyapong, head of the psychiatry department at Dalhousie University, said Friday that under the program, the median time between a referral and an appointment with a psychiatrist has remained about four to six weeks over the past two years. The quick pace of service, he said, makes a difference to hundreds of people in the Halifax region who would otherwise struggle in silence. The Rapid Access and Stabilization Program – or RASP – is only available in and around the Halifax area. 'Wait times for treatment remain a major barrier,' he said during a presentation to a group that included mental health experts from across Canada and provincial health officials. 'People often face months-long delays to see a mental health professional.' Agyapong, who launched the program with funding from the province, presented figures showing that since April 2023, more than 2,100 adult patients had been seen by four psychiatrists each devoting a few days a week to the practice, equivalent to two full-time positions. He said the focus is on seeing patients with 'mild to moderate' mental health issues who only need a one-time consultation. In about 70 per cent of the cases, they're sent back to their family doctors and nurse practitioners with a care plan, Agyapong said. Patients with more serious and ongoing issues can be referred for additional care to doctors outside the program. About 12 per cent of patients were referred for psychotherapy through community mental health programs, and seven per cent were referred for ongoing psychiatric care. Emily Kiley, a 40-year-old patient who recently used the rapid access service, said that before she entered the program she was told it would take two years to see a psychiatrist. However, last December her new family doctor referred her to the rapid access program. She says she completed a preliminary questionnaire and on Jan. 31 visited the clinic in person. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD. 'It's three months since I started on the medication. I feel so much better . … Having a diagnosis, I feel I can move forward in my life,' Kiley said. Dr. Jason Morrison, one of the psychiatrists in the project, said it's refreshing to be involved in a system where general psychiatric care can be provided without long wait times. 'Often, you have to see multiple people in order to win an audience with the psychiatrist, which has never made sense to me,' he said. Dr. Satyanarayana Ketaraju, a family physician in Dartmouth, N.S., told the seminar he's happy with the new service. 'I feel it has filled a gap in the mental health system,' he said, adding that a conventional referral to Nova Scotia Health could mean 'waiting forever before a crisis hits, and (by then) it might be too late for the patient.' 'I would like it to be expanded all over Nova Scotia,' he said. Agyapon said that with an additional $1 million annually he and the team could scale the program to serve the entire province, rather than solely the Halifax area, referred to as the central zone. With that funding he could add two full-time psychiatrists and other clinicians along with more support staff. The program currently has funding of about $800,000 for its psychiatric staff. Nova Scotia Health is looking at how it can increase access to the program across the province, says Bethany McCormick, vice-president of mental health and addictions at Nova Scotia Health, in an interview before the seminar. However, McCormick said the government isn't planning on immediately increasing funding to the project. The expansion of the rapid access program was among the recommendations in the Lionel Desmond inquiry that was published more than a year ago. That report examined the issues behind why Desmond — a veteran of the Afghanistan war with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and depression — died by suicide Jan. 3, 2017, after fatally shooting his wife, their daughter, and his mother in their Nova Scotia home. The inquiry found 'it took months' to ramp up his care, and called on the province to expand Agyapong's project. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
05-05-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Rapid access to psychiatry program wins praise from doctors, patients in Halifax
HALIFAX – A pioneering Nova Scotia program that provides patients with basic psychiatric diagnoses is winning praise for slashing wait times for some people struggling to get help. Dr. Vincent Agyapong, head of the psychiatry department at Dalhousie University, said Friday that under the program, the median time between a referral and an appointment with a psychiatrist has remained about four to six weeks over the past two years. The quick pace of service, he said, makes a difference to hundreds of people in the Halifax region who would otherwise struggle in silence. The Rapid Access and Stabilization Program – or RASP – is only available in and around the Halifax area. 'Wait times for treatment remain a major barrier,' he said during a presentation to a group that included mental health experts from across Canada and provincial health officials. 'People often face months-long delays to see a mental health professional.' Agyapong, who launched the program with funding from the province, presented figures showing that since April 2023, more than 2,100 adult patients had been seen by four psychiatrists each devoting a few days a week to the practice, equivalent to two full-time positions. He said the focus is on seeing patients with 'mild to moderate' mental health issues who only need a one-time consultation. In about 70 per cent of the cases, they're sent back to their family doctors and nurse practitioners with a care plan, Agyapong said. Patients with more serious and ongoing issues can be referred for additional care to doctors outside the program. About 12 per cent of patients were referred for psychotherapy through community mental health programs, and seven per cent were referred for ongoing psychiatric care. Emily Kiley, a 40-year-old patient who recently used the rapid access service, said that before she entered the program she was told it would take two years to see a psychiatrist. However, last December her new family doctor referred her to the rapid access program. She says she completed a preliminary questionnaire and on Jan. 31 visited the clinic in person. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD. 'It's three months since I started on the medication. I feel so much better . … Having a diagnosis, I feel I can move forward in my life,' Kiley said. Dr. Jason Morrison, one of the psychiatrists in the project, said it's refreshing to be involved in a system where general psychiatric care can be provided without long wait times. 'Often, you have to see multiple people in order to win an audience with the psychiatrist, which has never made sense to me,' he said. Dr. Satyanarayana Ketaraju, a family physician in Dartmouth, N.S., told the seminar he's happy with the new service. 'I feel it has filled a gap in the mental health system,' he said, adding that a conventional referral to Nova Scotia Health could mean 'waiting forever before a crisis hits, and (by then) it might be too late for the patient.' 'I would like it to be expanded all over Nova Scotia,' he said. Agyapon said that with an additional $1 million annually he and the team could scale the program to serve the entire province, rather than solely the Halifax area, referred to as the central zone. With that funding he could add two full-time psychiatrists and other clinicians along with more support staff. The program currently has funding of about $800,000 for its psychiatric staff. Nova Scotia Health is looking at how it can increase access to the program across the province, says Bethany McCormick, vice-president of mental health and addictions at Nova Scotia Health, in an interview before the seminar. However, McCormick said the government isn't planning on immediately increasing funding to the project. The expansion of the rapid access program was among the recommendations in the Lionel Desmond inquiry that was published more than a year ago. That report examined the issues behind why Desmond — a veteran of the Afghanistan war with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and depression — died by suicide Jan. 3, 2017, after fatally shooting his wife, their daughter, and his mother in their Nova Scotia home. The inquiry found 'it took months' to ramp up his care, and called on the province to expand Agyapong's project. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2025.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Reporter who sued MP and won $18m hopeful he will pocket the money
An investigative journalist who won an $18m (£14m) defamation case says that, although he is hopeful he will receive the money, what is more rewarding is the message his victory sends. "The bigger impact for me is not the money but the fact that young journalists are encouraged [to hold the powerful to account] no matter how big you are [as] a politician", Anas Aremeyaw Anas told the BBC. The Ghanaian journalist first brought his legal case against Ghanaian MP Kennedy Agyapong in their home country, but he lost. He then took the case to the US, where Agyapong owns property, and won. The libel case stems from comments the MP made about the journalist after his investigation in 2018 that exposed football corruption in Ghana and elsewhere. The court heard that Agyapong, among other accusations made on a podcast, had called the reporter a "criminal" and alleged he was behind the murder of fellow journalist Ahmed Suale. Anas told the BBC he was still grieving Suale and that, despite the recent arrest of one suspect, he believes there are other culprits still at large. "From time to time I go to where Ahmed was shot, and I go to have my own quiet time. I go to his grave. "It encourages me. When Ahmed was alive he asked me one day: 'Boss, I want [to] assure you [that] one day if you should die, I would continue with the good work that you do'. I didn't know it was going to be the reverse because, all along... I was the one who was the target." Anas has been scathing in his criticism of Ghana's legal system, telling the BBC he believes "many" members of the judiciary "are doing nothing but tilting the scale of justice in favour of the wrong one". He decided to bring his case against the MP to the US state of New Jersey, where the politician was at the time he was interviewed for the Daddy Fred Show podcast, according to court papers filed by Anas' lawyers. The journalist's victory earlier this month saw him awarded $18m in damages as the result of a unanimous decision by an eight-member jury in Essex County Superior Court in New Jersey, finding Agyapong liable for defamation. The figure included $8m in punitive damages. "I feel very happy, I think that it's a vindication of what I have always preached. This goes a long way to encourage African journalists across the continent there's a need for us to be resilient. There's a need for us to have a stomach to take the heat," Anas told the BBC. Now that the court has ordered Agyapong to pay damages, the journalist says he is confident the funds will be transferred because his legal team's "due diligence" had assessed the value of property and businesses owned by the MP before bringing the case. "I cannot be 100% certain, but I know that my legal team has done some work and they have a plan," he adds. Anas says that, even though his case was won in the US, it should serve as a wake-up call to the rich and powerful that African journalists can and will hold them to account. "We also have the capacity to stand toe-to-toe with you. Whilst we are patient, whilst we are honest, our day will definitely come." Additional reporting by Thomas Naadi Betraying the Game: African officials filmed taking cash Ghana dissolves football association after BBC investigation into corruption Players union welcomes life ban for Gabon football coach over sexual abuse Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Anas Aremeyaw Anas: Ghanaian journalist hopeful he will get damages from Kennedy Agyapong
An investigative journalist who won an $18m (£14m) defamation case says that, although he is hopeful he will receive the money, what is more rewarding is the message his victory sends."The bigger impact for me is not the money but the fact that young journalists are encouraged [to hold the powerful to account] no matter how big you are [as] a politician", Anas Aremeyaw Anas told the Ghanaian journalist first brought his legal case against Ghanaian MP Kennedy Agyapong in their home country, but he then took the case to the US, where Agyapong owns property, and won. The libel case stems from comments the MP made about the journalist after his investigation in 2018 that exposed football corruption in Ghana and court heard that Agyapong, among other accusations made on a podcast, had called the reporter a "criminal" and alleged he was behind the murder of fellow journalist Ahmed told the BBC he was still grieving Suale and that, despite the recent arrest of one suspect, he believes there are other culprits still at large."From time to time I go to where Ahmed was shot, and I go to have my own quiet time. I go to his grave."It encourages me. When Ahmed was alive he asked me one day: 'Boss, I want [to] assure you [that] one day if you should die, I would continue with the good work that you do'. I didn't know it was going to be the reverse because, all along... I was the one who was the target."Anas has been scathing in his criticism of Ghana's legal system, telling the BBC he believes "many" members of the judiciary "are doing nothing but tilting the scale of justice in favour of the wrong one". He decided to bring his case against the MP to the US state of New Jersey, where the politician was at the time he was interviewed for the Daddy Fred Show podcast, according to court papers filed by Anas' journalist's victory earlier this month saw him awarded $18m in damages as the result of a unanimous decision by an eight-member jury in Essex County Superior Court in New Jersey, finding Agyapong liable for figure included $8m in punitive damages."I feel very happy, I think that it's a vindication of what I have always preached. This goes a long way to encourage African journalists across the continent there's a need for us to be resilient. There's a need for us to have a stomach to take the heat," Anas told the that the court has ordered Agyapong to pay damages, the journalist says he is confident the funds will be transferred because his legal team's "due diligence" had assessed the value of property and businesses owned by the MP before bringing the case."I cannot be 100% certain, but I know that my legal team has done some work and they have a plan," he says that, even though his case was won in the US, it should serve as a wake-up call to the rich and powerful that African journalists can and will hold them to account."We also have the capacity to stand toe-to-toe with you. Whilst we are patient, whilst we are honest, our day will definitely come."Additional reporting by Thomas Naadi You may also be interested in: Betraying the Game: African officials filmed taking cashGhana dissolves football association after BBC investigation into corruptionPlayers union welcomes life ban for Gabon football coach over sexual abuse Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
