The lawyers for dancehall artiste Shatta Wale have requested two weeks to settle the defamation case brought against him by his former manager, Lawrence Nana Asiamah Hanson, aka Bulldog.
The case stems from a Facebook post made by Shatta Wale on November 2, 2022, in which he implicated Bulldog in the murder of Fennec Okyere, a Ghanaian sound engineer. Bulldog subsequently sued Shatta Wale for defamation, seeking damages of GH₵10 million (US$1.6 million).
The case has been ongoing since November 2022, and has been adjourned several times as the parties have attempted to reach a settlement out of court.
In April 2023, Shatta Wale’s lawyers requested a month for further negotiations, and in May 2023, they announced that the parties had agreed to settlement terms in principle.
On June 13, 2023, Shatta Wale’s lawyers appeared in court and requested two weeks to finalize the settlement terms. Justice Adu Owusu granted the request, and adjourned the case to June 27, 2023.
If the parties are unable to reach a final agreement by June 27, the case will go to trial.
It is unclear what terms the parties have agreed to in principle, but it is possible that Shatta Wale will apologize to Bulldog and pay him damages.
It is also possible that the case will be dismissed altogether.
The outcome of the case will be closely watched by the Ghanaian music industry, as it will set a precedent for future defamation cases.
