A journalist and editor of The Herald newspaper, Larry Alans Dogbey, has been granted bail after briefly serving a sentence of seven days imprisonment for contempt of court in connection with publications tied to an ongoing commercial dispute involving oil executive Kevin Okyere and Swiss trading firm Petraco SA.
The ruling was delivered on Thursday, June 25, by the Accra High Court, where Justice Isaac Addo found Dogbey guilty of disobeying a court order that restricted further reporting on the matter.
At the centre of the contempt case were a series of reports published by The Herald newspaper concerning a petition filed by Petraco SA against Mr Okyere, who is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Springfield Exploration and Production Limited.
The court held that Dogbey had violated an interlocutory injunction issued on June 11, 2025, which explicitly barred additional publications on the case until it was fully determined.
During proceedings, Dogbey maintained under cross-examination that he had not been formally served with the injunction and therefore had no knowledge of the restriction on publication.
However, the court dismissed that explanation, concluding that his conduct amounted to “willful, contumacious and flagrant disregard” of judicial 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.
He further noted that the High Court’s authority to sanction contempt is grounded in Article 126(2) of the 1992 Constitution as well as Order 50 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004.
Following the judgment, Justice Addo ordered the issuance of a Warrant of Committal directed to the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, or any authorised officers, to enforce the custodial sentence.
Despite the conviction, Dogbey has since been granted bail as further legal processes continue, Myjoyonline reported.
