Osahen Afenyo-Markin vows to pursue case against Sammy Gyamfi despite high court technicalities

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin says he will pursue his defamation case against Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi "to its logical conclusion" hours after the High Court in Accra set aside his GH¢15 million suit on procedural grounds.

In a press statement issued Wednesday evening, his lawyer, F. Paa Kwesi Abaidoo of Dehyena Chambers, said the Effutu MP had given full instructions to continue the fight. "We will not be deterred by procedural setbacks," the statement said.

The High Court, General Jurisdiction 1, presided over by Justice Akwasi Adjenim Boateng, set aside the writ earlier in the day because it did not set out the particulars of the alleged defamatory words used by Mr Gyamfi.

Lawyers await written ruling
According to the statement, the Court Registry had not released a copy of the ruling as of 4:00 p.m. The legal team said it was waiting for the written ruling before deciding its next step.

The statement criticised Mr Gyamfi for relying on a procedural objection instead of filing a defence. It noted that he had made categorical allegations against Mr Afenyo-Markin, publicly claimed to have evidence, and dared him to sue.

Mr Abaidoo argued that Ghana's civil jurisprudence, including Supreme Court decisions on non-compliance with procedural rules and Order 81 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (C.I. 47), treats procedural irregularities as curable. He invoked the equitable principle that justice should not be sacrificed on the altar of technicalities.

"The Mills of Justice grind slowly, but with great surety," the statement concluded.

Background to the suit
The dispute began over reported losses of about US$1.7 billion linked to the Bank of Ghana's Domestic Gold Purchase Programme in 2025. Mr Afenyo-Markin demanded accountability for the losses, while Mr Gyamfi disputed his figures.

On the August 22, 2026 edition of JoyNews' Newsfile, Mr Gyamfi allegedly described the Minority Leader as an "extortionist" and challenged him to sue.

Mr Afenyo-Markin announced the suit in Parliament on August 24 and filed it the same day. He named Mr Gyamfi and Multimedia Group Limited, owners of JoyNews, as defendants. He sought GH¢15 million in damages, a retraction, an unconditional public apology and an injunction.

The case later drew a dispute over service. Mr Gyamfi authorised his lawyers, Ayine & Partners, to accept the documents, while Mr Afenyo-Markin's lawyers said service had been completed and rejected claims that he was avoiding it.