The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Dr. Hugh Clement A. Brown, has initiated a defamation lawsuit against Kwame Baffoe, widely recognized as Abronye DC.
The Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party is facing legal action demanding GH¢20 million in compensation over claims he made on his digital television channel, OHIA TV.
During a broadcast on July 10, 2025, Mr. Baffoe accused Dr. Brown of fabricating official paperwork, unlawfully approving the sale of protected forest lands, and manipulating dates on documents to implicate the previous government.
In his legal filing, Dr. Brown characterized the allegations aired on OHIA TV’s show ‘The Evidence’ as entirely untrue and deliberately intended to harm his personal and professional reputation both within Ghana and abroad.
He is pursuing GH¢15 million in compensatory damages for libel, GH¢5 million in punitive damages, and a series of public apologies and corrections to be broadcast and printed across leading television stations and newspapers.
“The statements were made maliciously and without any factual basis,” the Plaintiff stated.
Legal representatives for Dr. Brown argued that the televised remarks portrayed their client as “an embezzler, a dishonest and fraudulent person, and a thief.”
Dr. Brown, an expert in forestry with a doctorate in Tropical Forest Ecology, has been with the Commission since 1993, holding several high-level positions including Director of Operations and Executive Director of the Forest Services Division.
He assumed the role of Acting Chief Executive in January 2025.
Mr. Baffoe alleged that Dr. Brown issued documents in mid-2024 before his official appointment to enable payments from mining firms seeking access to forest areas.
The documents, dated May and June 2024, reportedly carried Dr. Brown’s signature as Acting Chief Executive.
He claimed these actions were part of a deliberate effort to discredit the previous NPP-led government by associating it with unlawful mining transactions.
“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 also accused Dr. Brown of receiving payments through unofficial channels and misappropriating funds derived from forest resources.
Dr. Brown has refuted all allegations, maintaining that he had not yet taken office as Acting CEO at the time the documents were allegedly signed.
He further denied any involvement in efforts to implicate the NPP or in any financial wrongdoing.
As part of his demands, Dr. Brown is requesting six televised apologies from Mr. Baffoe to be aired on GTV, TV3, Joy TV, and OHIA TV, along with printed corrections in the Daily Graphic for four consecutive weeks.
He is also seeking a formal apology to be posted across all OHIA TV online platforms.
The defendant has yet to issue an official response to the legal action.
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