Randy Abbey refiles GHc20m defamation suit against Abronye after initial dismissal

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Randy Abbey, has refiled his GH¢20 million defamation lawsuit against the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye, at the Accra High Court.

The fresh action follows the earlier dismissal of the case by the court, which ruled that the initial writ was procedurally defective because it was filed by COCOBOD’s Legal Department rather than through a private legal practitioner.

In the new suit, filed by his lawyer Alex Owoo, Mr. Abbey accuses Abronye of making defamatory remarks about him during a radio programme. According to the writ, Abronye alleged that the COCOBOD CEO visits cocoa farming communities with a personal chair transported from Accra, a claim Abbey says was intended to ridicule and demean him in the public eye.

The suit further cites comments in which Abronye allegedly accused Mr. Abbey of replacing COCOBOD’s Director of Finance as part of a plan to “steal COCOBOD money to the detriment of cocoa farmers.” Abbey has categorically denied the allegations, describing them as false, reckless, and malicious.

In his statement of claim, the COCOBOD CEO argues that the comments were deliberately calculated to damage his personal and professional reputation, particularly in his role as Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Board.

“The Defendant made the defamatory statements with a clear and deliberate intent to harm the Plaintiff’s personal and professional reputation, knowing that such statements would cause substantial damage to the Plaintiff’s standing in society,” the writ states.

Beyond the GH¢20 million in damages, Mr. Abbey is asking the court to order Abronye to issue an unconditional retraction and unqualified apology, as well as ensure the complete removal of the defamatory publications within 14 days of judgment.

He is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining Abronye, or anyone acting on his behalf, from making or publishing further defamatory statements against him.