Nsawam Adoagyiri Member of Parliament Frank Annoh-Dompreh has filed a defamation suit at the High Court in Accra against Bono Regional Minister Joseph Addea Akwaboah and media outlet, GhanaWeb.
In a writ of summons issued on May 6, 2026, Annoh-Dompreh is seeking a total of GH¢30 million in damages over alleged defamatory statements made by the minister and published by GhanaWeb on April 28, 2026.
According to the statement of claim, the minister, during a cocoa farm visit interaction, reportedly stated in Twi that Annoh-Dompreh had advised cocoa buyers to use government funds to purchase cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire and bring it into Ghana in order to make the government unpopular.
The minister was further quoted as saying he acted on intelligence, deployed security officers and the COCOBOD anti-smuggling team, leading to the interception of over 100 bags of cocoa being transported from Côte d’Ivoire into Ghana.
The English translation of the alleged defamatory statement reads: “Another thing we need to realize is that, regarding the cocoa farm visitation by Annoh-Dompreh, he told the cocoa buyers that when the government funds are released, they should ensure they take all of those monies into Côte d’Ivoire to purchase Ivorian cocoa and bring them to Ghana, just to make the government look bad. I picked up on that intelligence and followed up. I tasked the security officers and brought in the COCOBOD anti-smuggling team. And thanks be to God, we have intercepted more than 100 bags of cocoa that were being transported from Côte d’Ivoire into Ghana.”
Annoh-Dompreh is praying the court for a declaration that the words published by the first defendant and republished by the second defendant are defamatory of him. He is also seeking general damages for defamation in the sum of GH¢20,000,000 and aggravated and exemplary damages in the sum of GH¢10,000,000 against the defendants jointly and severally.
Additionally, he wants an order directing the defendants to retract the defamatory statements and publish an unqualified apology with equal prominence on all platforms where the statements were published. He is further seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, assigns or privies from further publishing the defamatory words or any similar words defamatory of him. He is also claiming costs, including legal fees, and any other orders the court may deem fit.
The writ was issued by the plaintiff’s lawyer, Daniel Martey Addo of Oppong Nkrumah Law & Associates.
