Dancehall artist, Charles Nii Armah Mensah, also known as Shatta Wale, and his former manager, Lawrence Asiamah Mensah Hanson, have agreed to settle an ongoing defa­mation case out of court.

This was after counsel for Han­son, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, told the Accra High Court that the parties agreed an out of court settlement.

Hanson sued Shatta Wale for allegedly making defamatory pub­lications against him and asked the Accra High Court to award cost in damages against the defendant.

In 2022, Shatta Wale allegedly published on social media that Hanson knew about the murder of the late George Fenec Okyere, a musician.

In the writ filed in 2022, the plaintiff stated that the publica­tions by Shatta Wale were not only false, but they were actuated by malice to tarnish the hard won reputation of his client.

The court presided over by Justice Joseph Adu Agyemang Owusu, had already ordered the parties to file written submissions, but the lawyers could not do so because of the agreement to settle the case out of court.

“We wish to pray for one more adjournment to attempt settlement and depending on the outcome we may apply formally for extension of time to file our witness state­ment,” Dr Justice Srem-Sai told the court.

The case has been adjourned to April 18, 2023.

The plaintiff wanted a declara­tion of the court that the series of publications made by the defendant were defamatory to the plaintiff.

He asked the court to declare that the series of publications made by the defendant were also malicious.

The plaintiff urged the court for an order directed at the defendant to retract the publications from all on his social media accounts and render an unqualified apology for the defamatory words that the defendant has published about the plaintiff.

The plaintiff said such retrac­tion and apology should be vetted and approved by the plaintiff ’s lawyers.

 BY MALIK SULEMANA