JOURNALIST SENTENCED TO SEVEN DAYS IN PRISON OVER SPRINGFIELD-PETRACO CASE

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.

Following the judgment, Dogbey confirmed the conviction in a social media post, criticizing the court's decision and defending The Herald's coverage of a dispute involving Springfield Exploration and Production Limited (SEP) CEO Kevin Okyere and multinational energy trading firm Petraco SA.

According to Dogbey, the newspaper's reports were based on a petition allegedly filed by Petraco SA with several Ghanaian 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.

“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,” Dogbey stated.

The contempt proceedings stem from articles published by The Herald concerning the petition and the subsequent developments surrounding the matter. Reports indicate that the dispute led to Okyere's arrest and detention in Dubai.

While the court has handed down its judgment, details of the specific actions that constituted contempt have not yet been made public.

The case has sparked conversations within Ghana's media landscape, raising questions about press freedom, court authority, and the responsibilities of journalists when reporting on ongoing legal and commercial disputes.

Dogbey is expected to serve the seven-day custodial sentence imposed by the court.

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