An Accra High Court has convicted and sentenced journalist Larry Dogbey, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Herald newspaper, to seven days’ imprisonment for contempt.
The sentence was handed down on Thursday, June 25, 2026, by Justice Isaac Addo of an Accra High Court.
Mr. Dogbey disclosed the development in a social media post shortly after the court’s decision, expressing disappointment over the conviction and maintaining that his publication had merely reported on an official petition filed by a multinational company.
“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, Attorney General etc. Ghana deserves better. Journalism is not a crime,” he wrote.
According to Mr. Dogbey, the contempt case stemmed from reports published by The Herald concerning a petition filed by Petraco SA involving Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Springfield Exploration and Production Limited (SEP), Kevin Okyere.
According to him, the reports related to a petition submitted by Petraco SA to several state institutions, including the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), and the Attorney-General’s Department.
The petition led to the arrest and detention of Mr. Okyere in Dubai.
Details of the contempt proceedings and the specific basis for the court’s ruling were not immediately available.
The conviction has sparked discussions within media circles, with Mr. Dogbey insisting that the publication was based on information contained in an official petition submitted to state investigative and law enforcement agencies.
The journalist is expected to serve the seven-day custodial sentence as ordered by the court.
