The High Court in Accra has thrown out a GH¢15 million defamation suit filed by Alexander Afenyo-Markin against Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi, ruling that the action was legally defective.
The court, presided over by Justice Agyenim Boateng, held that the writ failed to meet the special legal requirements for a defamation action.
Mr Afenyo-Markin filed the suit on August 24, 2026, seeking GH¢15 million in general, aggravated and exemplary damages. He also wanted the court to compel Mr Gyamfi to issue a full and unqualified retraction and apology with the same prominence as the original publication.
Background to the case
The lawsuit stemmed from comments Mr Gyamfi allegedly made during the August 22 edition of JoyNews’ Newsfile programme, where he described Mr Afenyo-Markin as an “extortionist”.
The remarks came amid a public dispute over the financial performance of GoldBod and reported losses of about US$1.7 billion associated with the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme in 2025.
Mr Afenyo-Markin had questioned the programme’s performance and demanded accountability. He denied the extortion allegation and argued that the comments damaged his reputation.
He subsequently filed the defamation suit against Mr Gyamfi and Multimedia Group Limited, seeking compensation, a retraction and an apology.
However, lawyers for Mr Gyamfi, led by Seth Anyaaba and Gideon Abotsi, challenged the competence of the action through a preliminary objection.
The court upheld the objection and set aside the suit.
The ruling concerns the legal competence of the action; it does not, by itself, determine the truth or otherwise of the underlying extortion allegation.
