Herald Editor Larry Dogbe Has 10 Days to File Appeal or Face Return to Prison

Critical Deadline Set for Journalist's Legal Fight

Larry Dogbe, managing editor of The Herald, faces an urgent 10-day deadline to file a substantive appeal or return to prison, according to the President of the Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG), David Tamakloe. The journalist secured temporary freedom following an emergency ex parte bail application on Thursday, but this reprieve is conditional and time-limited.

Justice Isaac Addo convicted Mr Dogbe of contempt of court on June 25, 2026, ordering his immediate imprisonment. The contempt charge arose from articles published by The Herald concerning a corporate dispute between Petraco SA and oil businessman Kevin Okyere of Springfield Exploration and Production Limited. The court found that Mr Dogbe violated an active interlocutory injunction that prohibited further reporting on the case.

Mr Tamakloe explained that the current bail is merely a temporary measure—not an acquittal. The defence team must formally file an appeal on notice and serve all relevant parties within the 10-day window. "If after the 10 days he does not return to the court with a proper notice, then he goes back into custody," Mr Tamakloe stated on Citi FM.

During the original trial, the defence argued that Mr Dogbe could not be held liable because he had not been formally served with the specific court order. Justice Addo rejected this, ruling that the evidence demonstrated a clear and wilful breach of judicial orders that undermined the integrity of the justice system.