Judge sues ThisDay for libel, seeks N2b damages

 

BY OLALEKAN BADMOS

An Abuja Federal High Court judge, Justice Gladys Olotu, has sued the management of Leaders and Company Ltd, publishers of ThisDay Newspapers, over an alleged libelous publication against her.

The legal officer, in a suit filed in an Edo State High Court, is also claiming a sum of N2 billion as damages.

The alleged offensive story was published in Wednesday, November 13, 2012 edition of the daily newspaper under the title "EFCC probes seven judges for corruption".

Justice Olotu, according to the publication, was among the serving judges across the country being investigated by the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC), over ill-gotten wealth and acquisition of property through illegal means.

The claimant allegedly owns several bank accounts in local banks and in the United Kingdom, as well as possesses significant stock in various companies, and property in Abuja, Lagos and Benin.

Her counsel, Alfred Eghobamien (SAN), told the Court that he wrote ThisDay management on the 20 November, 2013 to express how the said publication has portrayed his client as a criminal who acquires illegal wealth from questionable sources.

Witness to the claimant, Kolawole Shola Okeanya-Inneh (SAN), who was cross examined, told the court that he had earlier recommended the judge for a higher appointment as an Appeal Court justice due to her outstanding qualities as a judicial officer.

He said since the publication hit the street, he began to have a rethink on his perception of the claimant, adding that he now deals with her with suspicion.

"Then I called the claimant immediately and in very stern words, informed her of the huge embarrassment her involvement in the said financial judicial corruption has occasioned to me, her family, the Bar and the Bench at large."

But, Justice Olotu, during cross examination, denied the content of the publication, saying it is not only untrue, but a well-orchestrated plan to harmfully malign and hurtfully libel her before the members of the public and humiliate her, adding that it has caused her unquantifiable damage and also loss of good will and destruction of reputation.

While demanding for the payment of two billion naira damages, she also asked for a withdrawal of the libelous publication and an apology to be given a prominent place on the front page of seven widely circulated newspapers including ThisDay and on the Internet.

ThisDay was not represented at the court sitting.

The presiding judge, Justice V.O. Eboreime, has adjourned till 24 March 2014, expecting that the defendants would have filed in their statements of defense by the new date.