[ 2014-10-21 ]

Former President Jerry John Rawlings and Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo

Agreement reached on Rawlings’ book
Samuel Atta Akyea, counsel for former President
Jerry John Rawlings – in a case in which the
former president is seeking to place an injunction
on the
launching of a book by Professor Kwaku
Danso-Boafo, Ghana’s immediate past High
Commissioner to the United Kingdom – has told an
Accra Fast Track High Court that the final draft
on the two parties’ agreement to settle the
matter out of court, was almost ready.

He told the court, presided over by Justice L.L.
Mensah, that the draft was ready except for some
one or two paragraphs which needed to be looked at
again.

Counsel for Rawlings consequently prayed the court
to adjourn the matter for both parties to return
to court on Friday, October 24, 2014 to finalize
the out-of-court settlement.

The case has been consequently adjourned to the
said date.

The professor was represented by Alex Quartey. Mr.
Atta Akyea had told the court at the last hearing
that they were close to settlement and asked for
an adjournment.

The defendant wanted to launch a book entitled,
“JJ Rawlings and the Democratic Transition in
Ghana,” which the former president is seeking to
have the court place an injunction on.

The book was initially scheduled to be launched on
August 20, 2014, but Mr Rawlings wanted the event
cancelled altogether, accusing Professor
Danso-Boafo of bad faith for reneging on an
earlier agreement reached on the book.

Mr. Rawlings, in his affidavit in support of the
motion, stated that Prof. Danso-Boafo had
undertaken to wait for him (Rawlings) to review
the book and correct all factual inaccuracies in
it but “has breached his own solemn undertaking
with me and has published it with the view to
launching it”

The plaintiff believes the professor had not
extended due courtesy due him relating to the said
agreement and had only dropped a special
invitation inviting him to the launch of the
unapproved book.

The defendant, in his affidavit in opposition of
Mr Rawlings’ claims, said the book was not
intended to and does not bring Jerry Rawlings and
his family into
disrepute, but was rather authored from an
“intellectual perspective and fair analysis of
historical events which occurred during the
plaintiff’s (Rawlings’) public life from
military rule through transition to democracy and
written in a very objective light.”

Prof. Danso-Boafo’s affidavit said the author,
after completing the book, gave Jerry Rawlings a
copy to proof read but the former president, after
keeping the
copy for well over two years, had not been able to
point out a single sentence he finds unacceptable
in the book.

Source - Daily Guide

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