The Accra High Court has sentenced the Managing Editor of the Herald newspaper, Larry Dogbe, to seven days imprisonment for contempt of court.
The court, presided over by Justice Isaac Addo, slapped the journalist with the sentence today after finding him guilty of disregarding an injunction order restraining publication against businessman, Kevin Okyere, pending the final determination of a defamation suit.
In the ruling, the court held that the publications by Larry Dogbe despite the pending injunction order constituted disobedience of the orders of the court, which brought the court into disrepute and an affront to the administration of justice.
The contempt application filed by Mr Okyere, the CEO of Springfield Group, an integrated energy company, stems from a defamation suit the businessman filed against the publishers of the Herald newspaper, Larry Dogbe and others.
After the defamation suit, the businessman applied for an injunction order, which was granted by the court restraining the continued publication of defamatory statement against Mr Okyere by the defendants pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Mr Okeyre contended in his application for contempt that despite the clear orders or the court regarding the injunction which was lawfully brought to the attention of Mr Dobge and others, The Herald continued to publish defamatory statements against him.
He deposed in his affidavit in support of the contempt application that the continued publication by The Herald constituted blatant disregard for the orders of the court.
“The actions of the Respondent is calculated to bring the Court to disrepute by showing to the entire world that the order(s) of the Court may be disregarded especially when the party is aware of the order having participated in the proceedings, and by so doing in sending a message publicly that the Respondent herein is not subject to the processes of the Court and has no regard to judicial process,” he averred.
In his response, Mr. Dogbe opposed the application, arguing that he was not aware of the injunction order at the time the publications were made.
He further challenged the admissibility of some of the documentary evidence filed by Mr Okyere.
However, in its ruling, the court found merit on the application for contempt, convicted the journalist and consequently imposed custodial sentence on him.
Credit to Graphic Online
