Businesswoman Niharika Handa has sued GhanaWeb, its editor, and an Accra-based businessman for defamation over publications accusing her of fraud and of obtaining Ghanaian citizenship by false pretences. The case, filed at the High Court in Accra, seeks damages of not less than five million Ghana cedis together with aggravated costs, an apology, and a retraction.
In her writ of summons filed by lawyer Thaddeus Sory of Sory @ Law, Ms. Handa names three defendants: GhanaWeb’s editor, Anamale Edward Smith, the portal’s operators Superweb Technologies Limited, and businessman Amar Deep Singh Hari. She alleges that the three conspired to publish malicious falsehoods against her in an online story headlined “From Wanted to Ghanaian Citizen: How Foreign Fugitives Allegedly Use Ghana as Haven for Fraud.”
The article, published on September 10, accused her of fleeing India in 2021 to escape non-bailable arrest warrants, of fraudulently acquiring Ghanaian citizenship in 2022 without satisfying residency requirements, of falsifying her date of birth, of defrauding Hari of millions of dollars through a refinery partnership, and of duping prominent Ghanaian business executives after establishing herself in elite neighbourhoods in Accra. Her picture appeared in the story, leaving readers in no doubt about her identity.
Ms. Handa describes the allegations as entirely false and malicious. She argues that the publication was not a product of independent journalism but a smear campaign orchestrated by Amar Deep Hari in reprisal for criminal complaints she had earlier filed against him. She notes that Hari is already facing prosecution in Ghana for theft and misappropriation of assets belonging to Gold Crest Refinery Limited. According to her statement of claim, his involvement in the story is evident because it was his lawyers, and not GhanaWeb’s editor, who replied when her solicitors formally demanded a retraction.
The businesswoman presents herself as a seasoned entrepreneur with an international track record. She points to her work as Managing Director of Reach Enterprises Private Limited, where she says she oversaw more than 300 hospitality brands including Hyatt, Meridian, Regent and Marriott. She also cites her service on the board of Sterling Resorts, which operates in over 25 countries, and her experience designing marketing campaigns for major telecommunications companies such as Airtel. She maintains that her business interests extend across mining, industrial processing, real estate and entertainment.
It is this career and reputation, her lawyers argue, that have been gravely injured by the publication. She contends that the story has led to ridicule and contempt from associates, relatives and partners worldwide, many of whom have called her in shock since reading the allegations.
In court filings, Handa rebuts the key accusations one by one. She insists that contrary to the claim that she fled India, certified judgments from Indian courts confirm she was never a fugitive and travelled in and out of the country without restriction. On her Ghanaian citizenship, she states that she satisfied all statutory requirements, including continuous residence in Ghana from 2017 to 2022, as well as the mandatory twelve months immediately before her application. She stresses that her application was even sponsored by Amar Deep Singh Hari and his nephew, and that the Criminal Investigations Department vetted her record before confirming her eligibility.
On the disputed date of birth, Handa says the difference between the year on her Indian and Ghanaian passports was caused by a typographical error, not fraud. On the allegation of defrauding her former business partner, she maintains that it is Mr. Hari who is on trial for misappropriating Gold Crest Refinery assets. And on suggestions that she duped other Ghanaian executives, she flatly denies ever deceiving anyone in the course of her career.
Her lawyers accuse GhanaWeb of reckless disregard for the truth, noting that its editors never contacted her for comment despite knowing her residence in Accra. They argue that the publication was calculated to injure her and to expose her to odium, ridicule and contempt.
In addition to general damages of not less than five million cedis, Ms. Handa is seeking aggravated damages to punish what she describes as the malicious nature of the publication. She wants a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from ever publishing similar stories, and she is asking the court to compel GhanaWeb to retract and apologise. She is also seeking full indemnity for her legal costs.
Neither GhanaWeb nor Mr. Hari has yet filed a defence. However, Mr. Hari and his associates have previously denied wrongdoing and accused Ms. Handa of fraud, an accusation she rejects as baseless. The matter is expected to spark a protracted courtroom contest in which the credibility of both parties will be tested under cross-examination.
