US court cuts Anas defamation award from $18m to $500
A New Jersey court ruled that the $18 million compensation was disproportionate and legally unsustainable.
A United States court has reduced the $18 million (Sh2.3 billion) defamation award granted to Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas to just $500 ( Sh64,411), following a legal request by former Ghanaian parliamentarian Kennedy Agyapong.
Agyapong was initially ordered to pay the large sum after a jury in New Jersey found that he had defamed Anas by calling him a "criminal" and accusing him of being involved in the murder of journalist Ahmed Suale.
The jury had ruled in Anas’ favour in March, rejecting claims by Agyapong’s legal team that the remarks were only personal opinions.
But after a review of the award, a judge in a New Jersey court ruled that the $18 million compensation was "disproportionate and legally unsustainable", according to Agyapong, who shared the update on social media platform X.
Despite this sharp cut, Anas has vowed to appeal.
He said the case was not about money but about justice.
"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," he told the BBC.
The legal battle began after Agyapong made the remarks in a podcast interview recorded in the US, where he owns property. The comments came shortly after Anas released an undercover investigation exposing corruption in football.
An earlier case filed in Ghana had ended in defeat for Anas, with the judge at the time describing his work as "investigative terrorism".
He then pursued the matter in the US.
Anas is known for his undercover methods and for wearing beaded face coverings to protect his identity.
He leads the Tiger Eye P.I. Media Group, which has produced multiple investigations across Africa. His colleague, Ahmed Suale, was shot and killed in 2019 after participating in similar investigations.
Following the revised ruling, Agyapong stated that he remains committed to "upholding the values of integrity" and defending "truth and accountability in public life."
Anas, however, remains firm in his mission. He has said he is still grieving the loss of Suale and promised to continue holding the powerful to account.
