Afenyo-Markin failed to comply with procedural rules in defamation suit – Sammy Gyamfi’s lawyers

Sammy Gyamfi's lawyers argue that Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin's GH¢15 million defamation suit is invalid due to his failure to comply with procedural rules. According to the lawyers, Afenyo-Markin did not endorse the alleged defamatory statement on the writ of summons, which is a mandatory requirement according to Order 57 (Rule 2) of the court rules.

The High Court ruled on October 14, 2026, that the writ was incurably defective and incapable of properly invoking its jurisdiction. The court relied on previous cases Coleman v Newmont and Owusu Domena to reach its decision. The lawyers for Gyamfi, Seth Anyaaba and Koko Abotsi, stated that the ruling effectively invalidates the suit filed by Afenyo-Markin on August 24, 2026.

Although the plaintiffs can choose to re-file the case, their legal team decided against seeking costs. The suit was filed in response to allegations of extortion made against Afenyo-Markin during a dispute involving GoldBod and the Bank of Ghana's Domestic Gold Purchase Programme. The suit also named Multimedia Group Limited as a defendant.