Journalist and Managing Editor of The Herald newspaper, Larry Alans Dogbey, has been granted bail after being sentenced to seven days’ imprisonment for contempt of court over publications linked to an ongoing legal dispute involving businessman Kevin Okyere and Swiss commodities trading firm Petraco SA.
Mr. Dogbey was convicted by an Accra High Court on Thursday, June 25, after Justice Isaac Addo ruled that he had deliberately violated a court order restraining further publications on the matter.
The contempt case arose from a series of reports published by The Herald concerning a petition filed by Petraco SA against Mr. Okyere, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Springfield Exploration and Production Limited (SEP).
According to the court, Mr. Dogbey breached an interlocutory injunction issued on June 11, 2025, which barred him from publishing additional reports related to the dispute until the substantive case had been determined.
During the proceedings, the editor argued under cross-examination that he had not been served with the injunction and was therefore unaware of the order prohibiting further publication.
The court rejected that defence, concluding that Mr Dogbey had knowingly disregarded its authority.
“Despite this clear and unambiguous judicial directive, the Respondent willfully, contumaciously, and in flagrant disregard of the authority of this Court proceeded to breach the said Order of 11th June, 2025,” Justice Addo stated in his ruling.
The judge noted that the High Court’s authority to punish contempt is derived from Article 126(2) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 50 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004.
Justice Addo subsequently directed that a warrant of committal be issued to the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, or officers acting on his behalf, to enforce the sentence.
Following the conviction, Mr. Dogbey was later granted bail pending the determination of the next legal steps in the matter.
The case has attracted significant attention within media and legal circles, with press freedom advocates closely monitoring developments.
