Public interest advocate and Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, has announced that he is being sued for GHS10 million (approximately $1 million) by Ibrahim Mahama, the brother of Ghana’s President and CEO of Engineers & Planners (E&P). The defamation lawsuit, filed in May 2025, is as a result of Simons’ recent essay critiquing the government’s approach to “nationalising” a mine previously run by Gold Fields and its implications for Mahama’s business interests.
According to Simons, the writ accuses him of defamation for two key claims in his publication:
- That Engineers & Planners had been financially “hit” due to suspended operations at the Damang Mine, where it previously provided services.
- That some creditors of the company were “up in arms” over financial pressures linked to delays in payment.
Simons, however, insists that these statements are based on analytical judgement, factual evidence, and common sense deductions. He describes the lawsuit as a “SLAPP” (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation), aimed at silencing critical scrutiny of powerful interests.
“We bear no malice towards Mr. Ibrahim Mahama. But we shall not be deterred from continuing to scrutinise any dealings of his that have public policy implications,” Simons stated.
He argues that publicly available information supports his claims, including a $68 million loan E&P received in 2020 to retool its fleet for Damang operations, followed by reported delays in repayments and credit loss provisioning. He maintains that using the term “up in arms” is a common idiom meaning “to protest vigorously” and does not imply defamation.
Click here to read more on this story: https://brightsimons.com/2025/05/when-the-presidents-brother-sues-you/
Simons also revealed that he had reached out to Mr. Mahama for clarification and documentation before publishing the article but received no response.
“Accountability is a marathon,” he wrote. “We look forward to establishing through discovery that I published nothing defamatory.”
The case has generated significant public interest, particularly as E&P stands to benefit from the government’s “nationalisation” of the mine, potentially continuing its services now under a state-owned mining operation.
GH Educate is following this keenly and will update accordingly…
