Journalist and Editor of The Herald newspaper, Larry Alans Dogbey, has been granted bail after being sentenced to seven days’ imprisonment for contempt of court over publications relating to an ongoing legal dispute involving businessman Kevin Okyere and Swiss commodities trading firm Petraco SA.

Mr Dogbey was convicted by an Accra High Court on Thursday, June 25, with Justice Isaac Addo ruling that he had deliberately defied a court order barring further publications on the matter.

The contempt proceedings arose from articles published by The Herald concerning a petition filed by Petraco SA against Mr Okyere, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Springfield Exploration and Production Limited (SEP).

According to the court, Mr Dogbey breached an interlocutory injunction issued on June 11, 2025, which restrained him from publishing additional reports related to the case pending its determination.

During the hearing, the editor argued under cross-examination that he had not been served with notice of the injunction and was therefore unaware of the order to cease publication.

The court, however, rejected that defence, holding that Mr Dogbey had acted in “willful, contumacious and flagrant disregard” of 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,” Justice Addo stated in his ruling.

The judge noted that the High Court’s power to punish contempt is derived from Article 126(2) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 50 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004.

Justice Addo subsequently directed that a Warrant of Committal be issued to the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, or officers acting on his behalf, to enforce the sentence.

Mr Dogbey has since been granted bail pending further legal proceedings.