A High court sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State Capital on Thursday adjourned for a pretrial to January 25, 2018 on a case of N1 billion defamation suits brought against the editor in- Chief of Abia facts newspaper, Mr. Emenike Iroegbu.
Chief Charles Ogbonnaya, the commissioner for trade and investment in Abia State had in a suit No: HU/ 171/ 2017 before Justice C. E Anyim accused Iroegbu of publishing defamatory story against him on 30th June 2016 while he was serving as the State commissioner for Local Government and chieftaincy affairs.
Ogbonnaya alleged that the story titled “Alleged Highhandedness and financial misappropriation as commissioner exposed” was intended to tarnish his image and he therefore he asked the court to prosecute the Journalist.
Mr. Victor Asuquo counsel to the defendant, who spoke to Abia Breaking News correspondent shortly after the Court rose, expressed confidence that the truth will prevail in the matter.
He said, “We are here to defend and not to prove, the onions is on the claimant to prove. Today is the report of service, as we have appeared the court knows that we have been served.
“A journalist had published a story and he has the right to publish, so it is left for the claimant to prove that there was an expressed malice against his person in what was punished.
He disclosed that the Court adjourned to January 25, 2017 for pre-trial hearing on the matter, “this matter is just commencing and have a long way to go, but we are there all the way, “he said.
