A retired journalist from the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Selma Ramatu Al-Hassan, has initiated a defamation lawsuit at the High Court in Accra. She is seeking GH¢10 million in general damages from media personality Captain Smart, Onua TV, and Media General Ghana Limited.
According to court documents, Ms. Al-Hassan alleges that Captain Smart made false and damaging statements about her private life during a broadcast on Onua TV in November 2025. She claims the host stated she had a child out of wedlock with the late former President Jerry John Rawlings.
Ms. Al-Hassan vehemently denies the allegation, asserting it is entirely false and lacks any factual basis. She contends that the broadcast, which subsequently gained widespread circulation on social media platforms, subjected her to significant public ridicule, embarrassment, and severe reputational harm, particularly given her extensive career in public broadcasting.
The statement of claim argues that the words uttered were defamatory in their ordinary meaning, leading right-thinking members of society to believe she engaged in immoral conduct and dishonesty. Ms. Al-Hassan further contends that the defendants either knew the statements were false or failed to undertake reasonable steps to verify the information before its publication.
In addition to the GH¢10 million in damages, Ms. Al-Hassan is seeking a court order for the defendants to issue a public retraction and an unqualified apology on the same platforms where the alleged defamatory statements were made. She also seeks a perpetual injunction to restrain the defendants from making or publishing similar allegations about her in the future.
Media General has been named as a defendant in the suit, based on its ownership and operation of Onua TV, thereby holding it responsible for the content broadcast on the station.