Bright Simons files motion demanding Ibrahim Mahama admit to 38 facts
Bright Simons, Vice President of IMANI Africa, has filed a motion at the High Court demanding that businessman Ibrahim Mahama and his company, Engineers & Planners, admit to 38 specific facts as part of the ongoing defamation suit brought against him.
The motion, filed at the High Court, general jurisdiction, seeks to establish critical background information on Mahama’s business dealings, political exposure, and financial interests—particularly in Ghana’s mining sector.
Simons’ legal team is giving the plaintiffs 14 days to respond to the list of assertions, which range from Ibrahim Mahama’s classification as a politically exposed person to detailed financial and contractual relationships between Engineers & Planners and Abosso Goldfields Limited.
The motion states that Mahama is the sole shareholder of Engineers & Planners and highlights his connection to the presidency as the brother of President John Dramani Mahama. It adds that he was labelled a high-risk politically exposed person by offshore legal firm Appleby in a 2013 transaction involving the registration of Red Sky Aviation in the Isle of Man.
Simons is also asking the court to compel the plaintiffs to confirm that Engineers & Planners’ contracts with Abosso Goldfields—worth $117 million between 2015 and 2019, and $300 million from 2020 to 2025—have constituted some of the company’s largest revenue sources both in Ghana and globally. According to the motion, income from the Damang Gold Mine alone is projected to make up at least 25% of the company’s total mining revenue over the decade.
The motion further claims that Engineers & Planners has received no payments from Abosso Goldfields since mining was suspended at Damang in 2023, and has since engaged in talks with banks including Stanbic Ghana over loan servicing issues. Simons points out that the company has taken loans exceeding $50 million from Stanbic and signed a $230 million Caterpillar equipment financing agreement with the Mansour Group.
Other admissions sought include the company’s failed attempt to acquire Cardinal Namdini Mines in Bolgatanga, its ongoing efforts to raise financing for other mining assets, and the employment of former Engineers & Planners staff in senior positions at the Minerals Commission.
Businessman Ibrahim Mahama has sued Bright Simons, Vice President of IMANI Africa, for defamation, alleging that a series of “false and malicious” publications have harmed both his personal reputation and that of his company, Engineers and Planners (E&P).
