Andhra High Court clears judge in contempt row: ‘45-minute gap between stay, judgment’

The High Court's General Jurisdiction 1 has dismissed Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin's GH¢15 million defamation lawsuit against Ghana Gold Board Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi. The court declared the lawsuit as incurably defective and incompetent, stating that it could not properly apply the court's jurisdiction.

The decision was based on Coleman v Newmont and Owusu Domena, which emphasized the need for prompt objection raising. The ruling concludes the proceedings under the flawed writ and does not determine the defamatory nature of the allegations. Afenyo-Markin filed the legal action in Parliament on August 24, 2026, following allegations of extortion related to a dispute over GoldBod and the Bank of Ghana's Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.

The suit also named Multimedia Group Limited as a defendant. The Minority Leader claimed the allegations were false and aimed to tarnish his reputation. The case sparked debate over the service of the writ, with Gyamfi's lawyers accepting the court documents while Afenyo-Markin's lawyers later claimed service had been completed and refuted claims of their client evading it.