President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé of Togo filed another suit against Lomé-based privately-owned La lantern newspaper over an August 12, 2010 publication that he claimed were false and insulting to his reputation.
This brought to five, the number of legal suits that President Gnassingbé had initiated against three newspapers in August. He had earlier brought four other suits against L’Indépendant Express and Liberté newspapers.
La lantern had in its Issue No. 90 accused President Gnassingbé of mismanaging the affairs of the country.
The article in question had the headline: “Faure Gnassingbé’s inability to govern (is being) confirmed day in, day out.”
The newspaper also said in the same article that :“Togo’s situation was going from bad to worse …( and that) the first term of the head of state first was a total failure,” due to the luxurious lifestyles of President Gnassingbé and his friends and massive violations of human rights.
The Lomé Magistrate court fixed September 8 as the day it would commence hearing of this suit.