Journalist Larry Dogbey has filed an application for bail pending appeal ahead of a hearing scheduled for Friday, July 17, 2026, at the High Court (General Jurisdiction 4), following his seven-day custodial sentence for contempt of court.
The application, which will be heard by Justice Isaac Addo, follows Dogbey’s conviction on June 25, 2026.
His lawyers, Peter Okudzeto and Eli Ahu, have filed a Notice of Appeal and an affidavit in support, outlining grounds they believe justify overturning the conviction at the Court of Appeal.
In a statement ahead of the bail hearing, Mr. Dogbey argued that the trial court’s decision undermined constitutional protections available to journalists when reporting on matters of public interest.
He maintained that publications by The Herald were based on official documents and criminal complaints submitted to state institutions and were not intended to disrespect any court injunction or motivated by malice.
According to Mr. Dogbey, the documents presented during the trial included materials signed by businessman Kevin Okyere, Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor and other public officials, which he said demonstrated that the reports were based on legitimate public interest issues.
He further stated that a criminal complaint alleging more than US$90 million in fraud, lodged on May 16, 2025, with institutions including the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the Inspector-General of Police, the Attorney-General’s Office and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), remains under investigation.
Mr. Dogbey argued that the alleged regulatory breaches forming the basis of Kevin Okyere’s defamation action against him were separate from the criminal fraud allegations contained in petitions submitted to state authorities by Petraco SA.
He also cited what he described as significant evidence that was not adequately considered by the High Court, including Mr. Okyere’s testimony during cross-examination regarding the existence of the petition, EOCO’s acknowledgement of receiving the complaint, correspondence from the Ministry of Energy, a US$100 million loan facility agreement and court processes from England referencing fraud allegations.
The journalist also challenged the High Court’s reliance on the case involving the “Montie 3” as precedent for his conviction, arguing that the circumstances differed because that case involved direct threats against members of the judiciary, while his publications, he said, contained no threats and were made solely in the public interest.
Mr. Dogbey expressed confidence that his appeal has strong prospects of success and appealed to the court to grant him bail pending the determination of the appeal.
