Gary Nimako sues MFWA for GHS10m over alleged defamatory report

Legal practitioner and former Board Chairman of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Gary Nimako Marfo, has filed a defamation suit against the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and its partners over a publication he claims was misleading and damaging to his reputation.

The writ of summons, issued by the High Court in Accra on September 30, 2025, names MFWA’s Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah; Fourth Estate journalist, Seth J. Bokpe; William Nlanjerbor Jalulah; Philip Teye Agbove; and the MFWA itself as defendants.

The case stems from a Fourth Estate investigation alleging that the NLA effectively handed over a GHS3 billion revenue stream to KGL Technology Limited for an annual payment of just GHS170 million.

Mr. Nimako, represented by Marfo & Associates, is seeking:

A declaration that the publication is defamatory and without just cause;
A declaration that it was intended to incite public disaffection against him and former NLA board members;
GHS10 million in compensatory damages;
A retraction and public apology of equal prominence;
Payment of legal costs, including solicitor’s fees.

The former board chair contends that the story — which was published with his photograph and widely circulated — was ill-motivated and has caused significant reputational harm.

Meanwhile, former NLA Director-General, Samuel Awuku, has also criticised the Fourth Estate report, describing it as “lopsided” and unreflective of the full scope of the Authority’s work.

Awuku argued in a September 25 statement that the NLA’s sponsorship of events such as the EMY Awards and Ghana CEO Summit represented only about 5% of the Good Causes Foundation’s budget. He maintained that these expenditures were strategic marketing initiatives to attract corporate partnerships for the NLA’s Caritas Lottery Platform, rather than evidence of mismanagement.