Journalist and Editor of The Herald newspaper, Larry Dogbey, has been granted bail after he was jailed for contempt of court.
He was granted bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with two sureties. The bail is valid for 10 days.
“It is hereby ordered that interim bail is granted to the Applicant/Respondent/Convict in the sum of One Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢100,000.00) with two (2) sureties. This bail will only be in force for a period of 10days.
“It is further ordered that the Applicant/Respondent Convict is to repeat this application on notice and the same is served on the Applicant/Respondent before the expiration of the 10 days period given to the Applicant/Respondent Convict,” the court said.
The court explained that it does not ordinarily grant bail pending an appeal on an ex parte basis without hearing the opposing party.
However, it noted that such applications may be considered in exceptional circumstances where strict adherence to the usual procedure could result in irreparable harm.
In Mr. Dogbey’s case, the court held that the seven-day custodial sentence was so short that he would likely complete it before his appeal could be compiled, transmitted and heard.
“The courts generally do not grant bail pending an appeal on an ex parte basis without notifying the opposing party. However, in extremely rare cases of dire urgency, such as an imminent life-threatening medical emergency or where the length of the sentence is such that the standard notice procedures will cause irreparable harm to the applicant, a court may entertain an emergency application.
“A seven-day custodial sentence is so short that the respondent will almost certainly serve the entire sentence before an appeal can be compiled, transmitted and heard. I have carefully read the motion paper, the supporting affidavit and all the annexures. The court finds merit in the application,” the court stated.
Mr. Dogbey was sentenced to seven days in prison on Thursday, June 25, by an Accra High Court presided over by Justice Isaac Addo after being found guilty of contempt over publications relating to a legal dispute between businessman Kevin Okyere, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Springfield Exploration and Production Limited (SEP), and Petraco SA.
The contempt charges stemmed from articles published by The Herald regarding a petition filed by Petraco SA against Mr Okyere.
According to the court, Mr Dogbey failed to comply with an interlocutory injunction restraining him from publishing further statements on the matter.
Despite Mr Dogbey’s argument during cross-examination that he was not served with notice to cease further publication, Justice Isaac Addo ordered that a Warrant of Committal be issued immediately to the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service or his designated officers to enforce the sentence.
The court further stated that Mr Dogbey had flagrantly 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. The power of this Court to punish for contempt is grounded in Article 126(2) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 50 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004.”
It added: “Let a Warrant of Committal be issued immediately to the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, or his designated officers, to carry this sentence into effect.”
Mr. Dogbey earlier confirmed the conviction in a social media post and in comments to CitiNewsroom.com.
“Justice Isaac Addo of an Accra High Court has just convicted me and sentenced me to seven days’ imprisonment in the case involving Kevin Okyere and Petraco SA. The Herald newspaper reported only on a petition filed by the multinational company with CID, EOCO, GIS, the Attorney General, etc. Ghana deserves better. Journalism is not a crime,” he wrote.
However, he was granted bail on Friday, June 26, pending appeal within 10 days.
Discussion about this post