Court of Appeal Reportedly Rules in Favour of Sammy Gyamfi in Defamation Case Against NAPO
- Ghana's Court of Appeal overturned a High Court ruling, finding that Sammy Gyamfi's statement about NAPO was not defamatory
- The appellate court held that the statement was neither proven false nor malicious, and that the trial judge erred in his characterisation
- An Accra High Court had in October 2022 ordered Gyamfi to pay GH¢500,000 in damages after finding him guilty of defaming the former Energy Minister
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Ghana's Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of National Democratic Congress (NDC) communicator Samuel Gyamfi in his defamation case against former Energy Minister Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO.
The appellate court determined that the specific statement at the centre of the dispute, referenced in paragraph 14 of NAPO's statement of claim, was not defamatory.
Source: Facebook
The court further held that the statement had not been established as either false or malicious, concluding that the trial judge made an error in treating it as defamatory.
*Background to the Gyamfi v. NAPO case
The legal dispute originated from remarks Sammy Gyamfi made at an NDC press conference in June 2019.
During that event, Gyamfi sought to connect NAPO to a criminal syndicate by describing Seidu Yakubu, also known as Mba, the prime suspect in the kidnapping of two Canadian women in Kumasi, as an "errand boy" for the minister.
NAPO rejected the claim outright, arguing it was false and deliberately crafted to associate him with thuggery and kidnapping, causing serious damage to his reputation both locally and internationally.
He subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking a retraction, a public apology, and GH¢1 million in damages.
High Court verdict and Gyamfi's appeal
An Accra High Court sided with NAPO in October 2022, finding Gyamfi guilty of defamation and ordering him to pay GH¢500,000 in damages along with GH¢50,000 in costs.
The court also directed him to publish a retraction and apology.
Gyamfi challenged the ruling and was granted leave to appeal, including permission to contest the payment order.
The Court of Appeal this morning allowed that appeal, effectively reversing the High Court's finding on the defamatory nature of the statement in question.
Read the Facebook post below:
Sammy Gyamfi’s father-in-law reportedly murdered
Meanwhule, in a rather sad development, YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Sammy Gyamfi's father in-law had died after sustaining gunshot wounds during a suspected armed robbery.
He passed away on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, five days after the attack on Friday, February 13, 2026
Sammy Gyamfi, a prominent lawyer and politician, married Karikari’s daughter, Irene Amankwaa Karikari, in December 2022, in a semi-private ceremony
Source: YEN.com.gh
