Journalist and Publisher of The Herald newspaper, Larry Dogbey, has been sentenced to seven days in prison after an Accra High Court found him guilty of contempt.
The ruling was delivered on Thursday, June 25, 2026, by Justice Isaac Addo.
Mr. Dogbey confirmed the conviction in a post on social media and in comments to Citi News, where he criticised the court’s decision and defended The Herald’s reporting on a dispute involving businessman Kevin Okyere and multinational commodity trading firm Petraco SA.
“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.
The contempt case stems from a series of publications by The Herald regarding a petition submitted by Petraco SA against Kevin Okyere, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Springfield Exploration and Production Limited (SEP).
According to Mr. Dogbey, the petition had been forwarded 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 matter reportedly led to Mr. Okyere’s arrest and detention in Dubai.
While the court has handed down its judgment, details of the specific actions or publications that formed the basis of the contempt conviction were not immediately available.
The ruling has sparked discussion within media circles, with some journalists and press freedom advocates closely monitoring the case. Mr. Dogbey maintains that The Herald merely reported on information contained in an official petition submitted to state investigative and law enforcement agencies.
The veteran journalist is expected to serve the seven-day custodial sentence imposed by the court.
