Fw: Suswam's libel suit begins.

The trial of three persons arraigned before an Abuja Magistrate's Court , sitting in Zone 2, for allegedly defaming the character of Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State in an article published in Power Steering magazine began yesterday with a cross examination of the governor's special adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Cletus Akwaya.

The editor of the magazine, Dan Ekah and two others were arraigned for a "joint act of defamation of character, injurious falsehood, printing or engraving matter, known to be defamatory and sale of printing of engraved substance containing defamatory matter, contrary to Sections 79,392,393,394 and 395 of the Penal Code law."

At the resumed hearing yesterday, Akwaya, who is a prosecution witness in the matter, told the court that he read the said libelous publication in the September 6, 2010 edition of the magazine and found out that the said publication portrayed Governor Suswam as a fake lawyer and that he forged his West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificate among other information pertaining the governor and members of his family.

Akwaya told the court under cross examination that the said publication was not only written in bad faith but unprofessionally written as the authors did not state whether they made efforts to verify the authenticity or otherwise of the allegations against the governor.

"It was deliberate on the part of the authors of the said publication to publish the said news item with the intention to tarnish or dent the hard-earned reputation, integrity and image of the governor of Benue State before members of the public and thereby lowered his estimation and also demeaned his authourity as the governor of Benue State before the electorate and his constituency," the governor's S.A Media and Public Affairs stated.

Akwaya added that Suswam's credentials as a lawyer, scholar, politician and public servant were outstanding, stressing that the governor is not a cheat and could not subscribe to forgery, and that he had known the governor for a long time to be a man of respect, credible politician, a lawyer and an exemplary family man and not a forger of documents and a fake lawyer as portrayed in the magazine.

The accused persons, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, were admitted to bail in the sum of N500, 000, with two sureties in like sum, who must be resident in Abuja.