The Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Dr. Randy Abbey, has sued outspoken politician and Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, for defamation.
In a writ filed at the Accra High Court on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, Dr. Abbey is demanding GH¢20 million in damages over what he describes as false and malicious claims made by Abronye.
The suit states that the politician’s allegations have not only injured Dr. Abbey’s image but also subjected him to public embarrassment.
According to the documents presented before the court, Abronye had falsely accused the COCOBOD boss of abusing public resources for personal gain. He is reported to have alleged that Dr. Abbey transported his own chair from Accra to cocoa farms in Land Cruisers during official visits because he refused to use the chairs provided by farmers. Abronye also claimed that the COCOBOD CEO manipulated internal appointments, including replacing the Director of Finance, as part of a plot to embezzle funds meant for cocoa farmers.
Dr. Abbey has denied all the allegations, insisting that they are completely false and meant to destroy his hard-earned reputation. His legal team argues that the remarks were deliberately made to reduce public confidence in him and to cause lasting damage to his personal dignity.
“ The Defendant’s actions were undertaken with the intention of eroding the public trust and confidence that the Plaintiff has built in his professional career fully aware that such false statements would result in irreparable harm to the Plaintiff’s personal dignity,” the writ added.
The reliefs being sought by the COCOBOD CEO include: a declaration that Abronye’s comments were defamatory, a full retraction and unqualified apology to be published across media platforms, the removal of all defamatory statements from the internet, a perpetual injunction restraining Abronye and his assigns from making further defamatory remarks, as well as a general, punitive, and compensatory damages amounting to GH¢20 million, finally a legal costs and any other remedy the court deems fit.
Dr. Abbey’s lawyers stressed that while public debate is important in a democracy, it must be based on facts and accountability rather than unsubstantiated allegations. They warned that such reckless claims damage reputations and undermine trust in public institutions.
As of now, Abronye has not issued any public response to the legal action.
According to a copy of the writ sighted by The New Publisher, Dr. Randy Abbey (Plaintiff), is seeking the following additional reliefs from Abronye DC (Defendant)
- declaration that the complained broadcasts/ publications by the Defendant endorsed on the Writ of Summons and particularised in the Statement of Claim are defamatory of Plaintiff and same have injured Plaintiff’s hard-earned reputation.
- An order for an unconditional retraction, unqualified apology a n d complete removal from the internet of the said defamatory broadcasts/publications doing so on all of the Defendant’s platforms including his social media platforms.
- An order for the publication as in relief (b) to be carried out within 14 days from the date of judgment.
- An order for the publications as in relief (b) to be given prominence on all said platforms for a period of one (1) month.
- An order that the contents of relief (b) be subject to the prior approval of the Plaintiff.
- An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant either by himself or his agents or assigns from further publishing and or broadcasting and or distributing films and or videos containing the following defamatory words or like words.
- General damages in the amount referred to in paragraoh 34 of the Writ of Summons against the Defendant in favour of the Plaintiff for the defamatory publications or broadcasts posted by the Defendant online.
- Punitive damages against the Defendant in favour of the Plaintiff as punishment for the defamatory broadcasts/publications made online.
- Compensatory damages against the Defendant in favour of the Plaintiff as punishment for the defamatory broadcast/publication made online.
j . Legal costs
- Any other orders that this Honourable Court deems fit to make.
This is not the first time Abronye has faced a defamation suit. In July this year, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Hugh Clement A. Brown, also filed a lawsuit against him, seeking GH¢20 million in damages for similar allegations.
