By Samuel Kwesi Appah-Peniel
The lawyers for Mrs Elsie Appau-Klu (Esq), a Deputy GRA Commissioner, have served notice to Mr David Antwi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghanaweb News Publishers, and Mr Kojo Smith, the Editor, to as a matter of urgency retract the false, malicious and defamatory publication against their client published on Monday, 14th July 2025, titled: “Deputy GRA Commissioner dragged before EOCO, CHRAJ over ‘unlawful’ land encroachment claims,” or face them in court.
“PLEASE TAKE NOTE and notice is hereby served that your failure to comply with these demands within 48 hours upon receipt of this letter, duly served and brought to your attention, our client will have no alternative but to initiate legal proceedings against GhanaWeb and its editorial management for defamation, reputational injury, and emotional distress,” Senanu S.M. Ashiagbor Esq,
Lawyer for Elsie Appau-Klu Esq, stated.
Senanu S.M. Ashiagbor Esq made the above order in a service of notice application copied Metro TV Correspondent, Samuel Kwesi Appah-Peniel.
The lawyers explained that there had been no judicial finding of wrongdoing, encroachment, or abuse of office by Mrs. Appau-Klu.
According to the lawyers, in the first place, there is no iota of truth in the said publication, which is obviously tainted with malice and deliberately aimed at tarnishing the very guarded image of their client.
READ BELOW UNEDITED SERVICE OF NOTICE ISSUED BY THE LAWYERS OF MRS ELSIE APPAU-KLU AND COPIED METRO TV NEWS EASTERN REGIONAL CORRESPONDENT, SAMUEL KWESI APPAH-PENIEL
14TH DAY OF JUNE 2025.
1. MR DAVID ANTWI
THE CEO
GHANAWEB NEWS PUBLISHERS.
2. MR KOJO SMITH
EDITOR
GHANAWEB NEW PUBLISHERS.
Dear David Antwi,
RE: FALSE AND DEFAMATORY PUBLICATION AGAINST MRS. ELSIE APPAU-KLU – DEMAND FOR RETRACTION AND APOLOGY
We act as Solicitors for and on behalf of MRS ELSIE APPAU-KLU ESQ, on whose instructions we write.
Our client instructs that her attention has been drawn to the publication on your website/platform which our client considers defamatory and we have instructions to formally address the defamatory, false, and malicious article published on Monday, 14th July 2025, titled: “Deputy GRA Commissioner dragged before EOCO, CHRAJ over ‘unlawful’ land encroachment claims.”-GhanaWeb.com is operated by you, David Antwi, as the CEO.
In the first place, there is no iota of truth in your said publication, which is obviously tainted with malice and deliberately aimed at tarnishing the very guarded image of our client.
Your publication, which has been widely circulated through your platform (www.ghanaweb.com), contains serious allegations that are unequivocally false, groundless, and damaging to our client’s integrity, professional reputation, and personal standing.
Again, your publication relies on a petition from one Nana Awuku Bram, containing unsubstantiated claims of land encroachment, abuse of public office, and purported use of “thugs” and “state security” for demolition of structures on disputed land at Oyarifa. GhanaWeb’s decision to publish these serious accusations without due diligence, verification, or an attempt to obtain a response from Mrs. Appau-Klu is a clear violation of responsible journalism and demonstrates a reckless disregard for the truth.
The matter cited in your publication is currently under litigation and pending before a court of competent jurisdiction which the said Nana Awuku Bram has been served with the Writ of Summons, but has to date not caused Appearance or Defence to be filed in that instant suit. There has been no judicial finding of wrongdoing, encroachment, or abuse of office by Mrs. Appau-Klu. She has abided by all legal processes, and our client denies ever using her public role to exploit or having any such powers, real or imagined, to command state institutions or uniformed individuals for personal gains. Furthermore, the label “embattled” employed in your article is not only unfounded but also deliberately seeks to malign her reputation.
In light of the serious nature of these allegations, we demand that the following actions be undertaken immediately:
1. A prompt and unconditional retraction of the defamatory publication/article from your website and all affiliated platforms;
2. A public apology to our client, Mrs. Elsie Appau-Klu, to be prominently placed within 6 hours on your homepage, matching the prominence of the original article;
3. An immediate cessation of any further publication of defamatory content related to our client;
4. Preservation of all correspondence, editorial notes, and digital evidence relating to this publication, which will be subject to discovery should legal proceedings arise.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE and notice is hereby served that your failure to comply with these demands within 48 hours upon receipt of this letter, duly served and brought to your attention, our client will have no alternative but to initiate legal proceedings against GhanaWeb and its editorial management for defamation, reputational injury, and emotional distress.
We urge GhanaWeb to recognise the gravity of this situation and to act decisively to rectify the substantial harm caused by this publication.
Yours sincerely,
SENANU S.M. ASHIAGBOR ESQ.
LAWYER ACTION FOR
ELSIE APPAU-KLU ESQ.
CC. ELSIE APPAU-KLU ESQ
Source: Samuel Kwesi Appah-Peniel/ Metrotvonline.com
