Investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas has floored a former communications director of the Ghana Football Association Ibrahim Sannie Daara in court.
On Thursday, a Human Rights Court in Accra dismissed a case brought before it by the former journalist and slapped him with a cost of GhC10, 000 in favour of the award-winning undercover journalist.
Daara filed a ¢20m defamation suit against Anas and his organisation Tiger Eye PI, which alleged he took a bribe to influence player selection.
In an emphatic denial, his lawyer, Dominic Ayine told local media back in 2018 that the GFA Communications Director never requested or accepted any bribe from operatives of Tiger Eye PI who had feigned interest in helping a ‘brother’ to get a call-up into the Black Stars Team B.
This interaction was captured in a video by Tiger Eye PI as part of its undercover investigations into corruption in sports administration which has shocked the country.
Since the public airing of the video, more than 70 referees filmed taking “bribes” were sacked and the Premier League suspended until late 2019.
Ghana FA President Kwesi Nyantakyi was also banned for life by FIFA upon his resignation.
But Saanie Daara has fought back insisting his reputation has been unfairly damaged by the award-winning journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who owns the private investigations company.
He said a careful review of the portion of the video relating to Daara shows his client did not accept any bribe.
In the footage, Daara advised the agent to encourage his brother to work hard for a call-up because player selection is based on player performance.
When ¢4,000 in cash is presented to him, Daara would not touch it or take it but directed it is given to a man standing next to him whose face was blurred in the footage.
In a voice-over, Anas is heard alleging that Saanie Daara later took the bribe after he directed that it be given to the unidentified man.
Counsel for Saani Daara insists the voiceover is an addition which defames his client because the video does not support the allegation of bribery.
“That is the point of our focus,” he said.
This unnamed person whom he asked the agent of Anas to give the money to, did not forward any such money to him, he said.
TigerEye PI’s bid to get a player selected through undue influence also failed as he was not called up to the team.
