The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Randy Abbey, has refiled his GH¢20 million defamation suit against the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC.
The fresh action follows the dismissal of the initial suit by the Accra High Court on Thursday, January 22, 2026. The court struck out the case as “procedurally defective” on the grounds that it was filed by COCOBOD’s Legal Department instead of a private legal practitioner.
According to the new writ, published by Graphic.com.gh, Dr Abbey accuses Abronye of making defamatory statements about him on a radio programme, which he says have damaged his reputation.
The plaintiff alleges that Abronye falsely claimed he visits cocoa farms and meets cocoa farmers using a personal chair transported from Accra. He further contends that Abronye alleged he replaced the Director of Finance at COCOBOD with the intention of “stealing COCOBOD money to the detriment of cocoa farmers.”
Dr Abbey described the comments as a calculated attempt to injure his personal and professional reputation, particularly in his capacity as Acting Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD.
“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 statement of claim said.
In addition to seeking damages, Dr Abbey is asking the court to order Abronye to issue an unconditional retraction, publish an unqualified apology, and remove the alleged defamatory statements within 14 days of judgment.
The suit also seeks a perpetual injunction restraining Abronye, or any person acting on his behalf, from making or publishing further defamatory remarks against the COCOBOD CEO.
