Omanghana
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has instructed his lawyers to continue pursuing his GH¢15 million defamation claim against Ghana Gold Board Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi after the Accra High Court set aside the writ.
His lawyer, F. Paa Kwesi Abaidoo, said the legal team would examine the court’s written ruling before deciding its next move. In a statement issued on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, Dehyena Chambers said it had not received the ruling from the court registry as of 4 p.m. that day.
Justice Akwasi Adjenim Boateng, sitting at the High Court’s General Jurisdiction 1, upheld an objection that the writ did not sufficiently identify the publication alleged to be defamatory.
The court found that the filing failed to meet Order 57 Rule 2 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004, C.I. 47. It held that this was a specific procedural requirement for libel proceedings.
Gyamfi’s lawyers had entered a conditional appearance and promptly challenged the writ. The judge rejected the argument that details supplied in the statement of claim could remedy the defect in those circumstances. Both the writ and statement of claim, filed on August 24, 2026, were set aside, with no order as to costs.
Afenyo-Markin’s lawyers maintained that procedural irregularities could be corrected under Ghanaian civil procedure, citing Order 81 of C.I. 47 and Supreme Court authorities. They said the ruling would not deter their client, but did not announce whether they would appeal or commence fresh proceedings.
The dispute arose from public exchanges over alleged US$1.7 billion losses associated with the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Program in 2025. Gyamfi disputed Afenyo-Markin’s claims and accused him of attempted extortion, prompting the defamation action.
The ruling addressed the validity of the court filings and did not determine the truth of the underlying allegations.
Source: Omanghana
