The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Dr Hugh Clement A. Brown, has filed a defamation suit against Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC.
The Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party is being sued for GH¢20 million in damages following allegations made on his online television platform, OHIA TV.
In a broadcast aired on July 10, 2025, Mr Baffoe accused Dr Brown of forging official documents, unlawfully authorising the sale of forest reserves, and backdating letters to implicate the previous administration.
In his statement of claim, Dr Brown described the assertions made on OHIA TV’s ‘The Evidence’ programme as false and calculated to damage his reputation both locally and internationally.
He is seeking GH¢15 million in general damages for libel, GH¢5 million in exemplary damages, and 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,” the Plaintiff said.
Lawyers for the Plaintiff stated that the televised accusations implied their client was “an embezzler, a dishonest and fraudulent person, and a thief.”
Dr Brown, a trained forester with a PhD in Tropical Forest Ecology, has served the Commission since 1993 in various senior roles, including Director of Operations and Executive Director of the Forest Services Division.
He was appointed Acting Chief Executive in January 2025.
Mr. Baffoe alleged that Dr Brown issued documents in mid-2024, prior to his appointment, to facilitate payments from mining companies for forest entry permits.
The documents were reportedly dated May and June 2024 and bore Dr Brown’s signature as Acting Chief Executive.
He claimed the actions were part of a strategy to tarnish the image of the previous NPP-led administration by linking it to illegal mining deals.
“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 said during the broadcast.
He further alleged that Dr Brown collected payments through unofficial means and diverted proceeds from forest reserves into private hands.
Dr Brown disputes all claims, asserting that he had not assumed the role of Acting CEO at the time the documents were allegedly signed.
He also denied any attempt to implicate the NPP or engage in financial misconduct.
As part of his relief, Dr Brown is requesting six televised apologies from Mr. Baffoe to be aired on GTV, TV3, Joy TV, and OHIA TV, alongside printed retractions in the Daily Graphic over four consecutive weeks.
He is also demanding a formal apology on all OHIA TV digital platforms.
The defendant has not yet responded formally to the lawsuit.
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