High Court throws out Afenyo-Markin’s GH¢15m defamation suit against Sammy Gyamfi

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 ruled that the writ was incurably defective and incompetent, thus unable to properly exercise jurisdiction. The ruling was based on Coleman v Newmont and Owusu Domena, focusing on procedural issues rather than the defamatory nature of the statements in question.

Afenyo-Markin filed the legal action in Parliament on August 24, 2026, following allegations of extortion in a dispute over GoldBod and the Bank of Ghana's Domestic Gold Purchase Programme. The court also named Multimedia Group Limited as a defendant. The Minority Leader claimed the allegations were false and aimed to harm his reputation, but the case sparked debate over the service of the writ.

Gyamfi authorized his lawyers, Ayine & Partners, to accept the court documents, while Afenyo-Markin's lawyers later stated service had been completed and disputed claims that their client was evading it.