The High Court in Accra has dismissed a defamation suit filed by the Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Dr. Ransford Anertey Abbey, against Bono Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman Kwame Baffoe Abronye, ruling that the case was improperly instituted.
Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul Baasit delivered the judgment on Monday, January 19, 2026, at the High Court, General Jurisdiction 2, in Accra.
Dr. Abbey filed the suit on August 26, 2025, claiming that Abronye had made broadcasts and publications that were defamatory and damaging to his reputation. The suit sought personal redress for the alleged harm.
However, the court found that the case was procedurally flawed because it was filed through COCOBOD’s Legal Department instead of a private legal practitioner, despite being brought in Dr. Abbey’s personal capacity. COCOBOD itself was not a party to the suit.
Counsel for Abronye had argued that a state institution’s legal department cannot represent an individual in a private matter, and Justice Abdul Baasit agreed. She explained that defamation is a personal tort intended to protect an individual’s reputation, not that of an institution.
“The plaintiff, having sued in his personal capacity, ought to procure the services of a private legal practitioner to represent him,” the judge ruled. “Public institutional legal resources cannot be used for purely personal litigation, and the involvement of COCOBOD’s Legal Department rendered the writ and statement of claim incompetent before the court.”
As a result, the High Court dismissed the suit in its entirety and ordered that no costs be awarded against either party.
Legal observers, including lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor, say the decision reinforces established principles on the use of state resources, especially where public officials pursue personal claims.
The ruling highlights the distinction between cases brought on behalf of a public institution and those filed in a personal capacity, even when the issues arise from an official role.
As at the time of filing this report, Dr Abbey had not indicated whether he would refile the case using private counsel. The ruling was delivered in open court and certified by the High Court registry.
