Accra: Dr. Hugh Clement A. Brown, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, has initiated a defamation lawsuit against Mr. Kwame Baffoe, widely known as Abronye DC. The Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party is facing a claim for GHS20 million in damages following serious allegations made on his online television platform, OHIA TV.
According to Ghana News Agency, the allegations were broadcast on July 10, 2025, during a segment on OHIA TV's 'The Evidence' programme. Mr. Baffoe accused Dr. Brown of engaging in fraudulent activities, including forging official documents, unlawfully authorizing the sale of forest reserves, and backdating letters to implicate the previous administration. Dr. Brown has labeled these allegations as false and strategically designed to tarnish his reputation both locally and internationally.
In his legal filing, Dr. Brown is seeking GHS15 million in general damages for libel and an additional GHS5 million in exemplary damages. He is also calling for a series of public apologies and retractions to be aired and published across major television networks and newspapers. 'The statements were made maliciously and without any factual basis,' Dr. Brown stated in his claim.
The legal representatives for Dr. Brown have argued that the televised accusations paint their client as 'an embezzler, a dishonest and fraudulent person, and a thief.' Dr. Brown, who has been with the Commission since 1993 and holds a PhD in Tropical Forest Ecology, was appointed Acting Chief Executive in January 2025. The allegations claim that he issued documents in mid-2024-before his official appointment-to facilitate payments from mining companies for forest entry permits.
Mr. Baffoe contended that these documents, which were reportedly dated May and June 2024 and bore Dr. Brown's signature as Acting Chief Executive, were part of a scheme to discredit the previous NPP-led administration by linking it to illegal mining operations. 'If you backdate a letter to make it look like these events happened under the NPP regime, then you are engaging in forgery,' Mr. Baffoe asserted during the broadcast.
Dr. Brown has categorically denied all allegations, emphasizing that he had not assumed the role of Acting CEO at the time the documents were allegedly signed. He also refuted any claims of attempting to implicate the NPP or engaging in financial misconduct.
As part of his demands, Dr. Brown is seeking six televised apologies from Mr. Baffoe to be shown on GTV, TV3, Joy TV, and OHIA TV, along with printed retractions in the Daily Graphic over four consecutive weeks. Additionally, he is demanding a formal apology on all OHIA TV digital platforms. The defendant has not yet issued a formal response to the lawsuit.