Lawyer: "Allegedly" Won't Stop Lawsuits

In a fast-moving media and social media space, the word “allegedly” seems to have become a popular legal ‘safety’ net.

Even though many believe that once the word is added, legal responsibility, such as a defamation lawsuit, disappears, legal practitioner Dennis Akwaboah says that belief is wrong.

In an interview with The Mirror in Accra last Wednesday, the Associate with Sustenerri PRUC warned that the careless use of the word “allegedly” could, in fact, land one in jail or be the cause of a hefty fine.

Mr Akwaboah explains that “allegedly” is a term adopted in legal practice to indicate that an accusation has been made but has not yet been proven.

However, he said the problem began when people used the word without understanding when and how it should apply.

“If you are the one saying it and nobody else is saying it, then you cannot hide behind ‘allegedly’. There must be attribution and some form of verification,” he said.

The lawyer noted that journalists, bloggers and content creators, in particular, must be careful with how they use the word.

He explained that it was better to attribute sources rather than use ‘allegedly.’ “If it is the police making the statement, say directly that the police said it.

Mr Akwaboah expressed concern about the excessive use of the word by social media users and the general public, who relied on ‘allegedly’ to comment freely on rumours and accusations.

According to him, even when someone else made a claim, a person who would repeat it must clearly state who made it.

The lawyer clarified that in legal practice, the word was used because of the principle that every person was presumed innocent until proven guilty.

He explained that before a court made a final decision, facts were not settled.

However, Mr Akwaboah warned against using ‘allegedly’ to describe events that were already known to have happened.

When asked about the specific law that backed the use of the word, Mr Akwaboah said there was no specific statute in Ghana which governed the word “allegedly”, but clear principles existed.

He pointed to the 1992 Constitution, which guaranteed the presumption of innocence.

Despite the risks, Mr Akwaboah noted that Ghana generally had a culture that rarely sued.

Image Source: MYJOYONLINE