Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has filed a defamation suit against the Bono Regional Minister, Joseph Addae Akwaboa, over comments allegedly linking him to cocoa smuggling activities involving Côte d’Ivoire.
The suit, filed at the High Court, also names GhanaWeb Accra for republishing the alleged remarks made on April 28, 2026.
According to the Statement of Claim issued by counsel Daniel Martey Addo Esq., the plaintiff contends that the comments made by the Bono Regional Minister were “false, malicious, and defamatory.”
The statement attributed to the minister alleged that Mr. Annoh-Dompreh, during a cocoa farm visit, encouraged cocoa buyers to take government funds and use them to purchase cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire and bring it into Ghana, in order to make government look bad.
The minister also claimed that intelligence gathered by his office led to the interception of more than 100 bags of cocoa allegedly being smuggled into the country. He stated: “I tasked the security officers and brought in the COCOBOD anti-smuggling team. And thanks be to God, we have intercepted more than 100 bags of cocoa that were being transported from Côte d’Ivoire into Ghana.”
Mr. Annoh-Dompreh argues that the publication has seriously damaged his reputation and standing as a public servant and statesman.
The suit highlights his public service record, noting that he is serving his third term in Parliament, is the immediate past Majority Chief Whip, and currently chairs the Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs of the Pan-African Parliament for the West African Caucus.
As part of the reliefs sought, he is asking the court to declare the statements defamatory and award general damages of GH¢20 million.
He is also seeking aggravated and exemplary damages of GH¢10 million jointly and severally against the defendants, as well as an order compelling a retraction and an unqualified apology to be published with equal prominence on all platforms where the statements appeared.
