High Court Dismisses Randy Abbey’s Defamation Case Against Abronye on Procedural Grounds
The Accra High Court has dismissed a defamation case brought by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board, Randy Abbey, against the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye, on procedural grounds.
In a ruling delivered on Monday, January 19, 2026, the court, presided over by Justice Halimah El Alawa Abdul Baasit, held that the writ of summons was improperly filed. The court noted that the suit was initiated through the Legal Department of COCOBOD, with the institution’s Director of Legal acting as counsel for Mr Abbey, despite COCOBOD not being a party to the action.
The judge explained that defamation claims are personal in nature and must be pursued by the individual affected in his or her private capacity. As such, the court held that Mr Abbey ought to have engaged a private legal practitioner to represent him rather than relying on the legal services of the state-owned institution he heads.
Justice Abdul Baasit consequently described the writ and accompanying statement of claim as procedurally defective and dismissed the case.
Following the dismissal, Mr Abbey promptly refiled the suit, this time through a private legal practitioner, in an attempt to correct the procedural errors identified by the court.
The defamation action, first filed in August 2025, seeks GH¢20 million in damages. Mr Abbey alleges that comments made by Abronye during a radio discussion damaged his reputation, particularly claims suggesting that he visits cocoa farms with personal furniture transported from Accra to meet farmers.
