The Accra High Court on 26 June 2026 granted bail to Larry Alan Dogbey, an editor of The Herald Newspaper, a day after sentencing him to seven days in prison for contempt of court.
Dogbey was sentenced on 25 June 2026 by Justice Isaac Addo for disobeying a court order restraining The Herald from publishing stories about an ongoing case between businessman Kevin Okyere and the multinational firm Petraco SA.
Dogbey announced the verdict on his Facebook page.
The contempt case arose from a defamation suit filed by Okyere, founder and chief executive of Springfield Exploration and Production Limited (SEP), against Dogbey and two others on 22 November 2024 over allegedly defamatory publications by The Herald.
On 19 December 2024, Okyere’s lawyers sought an interlocutory injunction to halt further publications pending the outcome of the suit. Despite a statement of defence filed by Dogbey, the High Court granted the injunction on 11 June 2025, restraining The Herald from publishing material the court considered intended to damage Okyere’s reputation. On 23 September 2025, the court ordered that the injunction be served on Dogbey through three channels at once: posting on the court’s notice board, publication in a national newspaper, and on WhatsApp.
The Herald nonetheless published three further articles referencing Okyere:
- A 12 November 2025 report on footballer Sulley Muntari’s detention in Dubai, which carried Okyere’s photograph alongside an alleged US$94 million fraud case;
- A 17–18 November 2025 front-page story on Okyere’s US$20 million bail in Dubai;
- A 6 February 2026 article titled “Kevin Okyere Returns With US$94 Million Fraud Albatross.”
Okyere’s lawyers argued that Dogbey knew of the injunction yet published the material anyway, undermining the court’s authority.
In its judgement, grounded in Article 126(2) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 50 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, the court held that Dogbey, as a journalist, had a “heightened civic duty to promote the rule of law, not to actively subvert it,” and that the sentence was meant to deter others who believe themselves above the law. “This court cannot gloss over this wilful disobedience,” the ruling stated.
Dogbey, in his Facebook post, said The Herald had reported only on a petition the company filed with state bodies, including the CID, EOCO, GIS, and the Attorney-General, adding, “Ghana deserves better. Journalism is not a crime.”
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) described the sentencing as unfortunate, said it was engaging its legal team to determine the appropriate steps, and urged journalists and the public to exercise restraint while the matter is reviewed.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA reached out to Dogbey for comment on the ruling but had not received a response by the time of publication.
The MFWA calls on journalists and media organisations to exercise professionalism and due diligence in their reportage.
