Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s GH₵15m defamation suit dismissed by court

The High Court in Accra has dismissed a GH₵15 million defamation lawsuit filed by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin against Sammy Gyamfi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board. On October 14, 2026, the court ruled that the writ of summons and statement of claim were fundamentally defective because they failed to provide specific particulars of the alleged defamatory remarks. The ruling, based on procedural grounds rather than the merits of the case, annulled the action originally filed by Afenyo-Markin on August 24, 2026.

Presiding over General Jurisdiction 1, the court found that the Minority Leader’s legal team failed to comply with mandatory requirements under Order 57 (Rule 2) of the High Court Civil Procedure Rules. This rule requires a plaintiff in a libel action to endorse the specific words complained of in the writ. Lawyers for Sammy Gyamfi had argued that the suit was incompetent due to these procedural errors. Consequently, the court set aside the entire process without making an order regarding costs, effectively ending the current legal proceedings under the defective writ.

The legal dispute originated from comments made by Mr. Gyamfi during an August 2026 broadcast of JoyNews’ Newsfile. During a debate regarding the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme—which Gyamfi alleged had incurred losses of approximately US$1.7 billion—he reportedly labeled Afenyo-Markin an "extortionist." In response, the Minority Leader sought GH₵15 million in damages, a public apology, and a retraction, asserting that the claims were false and maliciously intended to damage his reputation.

Following the ruling, legal representatives for Afenyo-Markin expressed a firm determination to pursue the matter to its logical conclusion. They accused Mr. Gyamfi’s team of using "procedural roadblocks" and technicalities to avoid addressing the substance of the defamation claims. While the court’s decision allows the Minority Leader the option to refile a corrected suit, private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has urged both parties to seek an amicable resolution. Kpebu suggested that prolonged litigation between key political figures diverts national focus from critical development issues and government scrutiny.