The High Court’s General Jurisdiction 1 has dismissed Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s GH¢15 million defamation lawsuit against Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi after declaring the writ used to initiate the case incurably defective.
According to a report by Myjoyonline, the court held that the writ was incompetent and failed to properly invoke its jurisdiction, bringing the proceedings to an end without examining the substance of the defamation allegations.
In its ruling, the court relied on Coleman v Newmont in addressing the applicable procedural rule and Owusu Domena on the need for objections to be raised promptly.
The decision was based on the legal validity of the action, not on whether the statements at the centre of the dispute were defamatory. It therefore does not amount to a determination of the merits of Mr Afenyo-Markin’s allegations against Mr Gyamfi.
Mr Afenyo-Markin first announced his intention to pursue legal action in Parliament on 24 August 2026. He said the lawsuit stemmed from allegations of extortion made against him during a dispute involving GoldBod and the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.
The suit named Mr Gyamfi and Multimedia Group Limited as defendants, with the Minority Leader insisting that the allegations against him were false and calculated to damage his reputation.
The legal battle was also marked by disagreements over the service of the court documents.
Mr Gyamfi authorised his lawyers, Ayine & Partners, to accept the writ on his behalf. However, Mr Afenyo-Markin’s legal team later maintained that service had been completed, dismissing suggestions that their client was avoiding the process.
The court’s dismissal means the proceedings initiated under the defective writ cannot continue in their existing form. However, the ruling does not resolve the underlying dispute over the alleged defamatory statements.
