High Court Throws Out Afenyo-Markin's GH¢15 Million Defamation Suit Against Sammy Gyamfi

• A High Court dismissed Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin's GH¢15 million defamation suit, citing a fatal procedural flaw in the writ
• The court found the writ incurably defective and incompetent, meaning it could not properly invoke the court's jurisdiction
• Afenyo-Markin filed the suit against Ghana Gold Board CEO Sammy Gyamfi and Multimedia Group Limited over extortion allegations

A High Court has dismissed a GH¢15 million defamation lawsuit filed by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin against Ghana Gold Board Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi, ruling that the writ used to initiate the case was incurably defective and could not validly invoke the court's jurisdiction.

The General Jurisdiction 1 division of the High Court delivered the ruling, drawing on two prior legal precedents, Coleman v Newmont on the applicable procedural rule, and Owusu Domena on the obligation to raise such objections without delay.

The decision does not constitute a finding on whether the statements at the centre of the dispute were actually defamatory.

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The court's determination was limited strictly to the procedural competence of the writ, meaning the substance of the defamation claim was never formally adjudicated.

Afenyo-Markin had publicly announced the legal action in Parliament on 24 August 2026, stating that it arose from allegations of extortion levelled against him in connection with a dispute involving GoldBod and the Bank of Ghana's Domestic Gold Purchase Programme. He described the allegations as false and calculated to damage his reputation. Multimedia Group Limited was also named as a defendant in the suit alongside Gyamfi.

The case generated a separate controversy over how the court documents were served. Gyamfi authorised his legal team, Ayine and Partners, to receive the documents on his behalf.

Afenyo-Markin's lawyers subsequently confirmed that service had been completed and pushed back against suggestions that their client had sought to avoid the process.

With the court's ruling, the proceedings under the defective writ have now come to an end.

Source: YEN.com.gh