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The High Court’s General Jurisdiction 1 has dismissed a GH¢15 million defamation suit filed by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin against Ghana Gold Board Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi.
The court ruled that the writ was incurably defective and incompetent, finding that it failed to properly invoke its jurisdiction.
In arriving at its decision, the court relied on the cases of Coleman v Newmont regarding the applicable procedural rule and Owusu Domena on the need to raise objections promptly.
The ruling brings proceedings under the defective writ to an end but does not determine whether the statements at the centre of the dispute were defamatory.
Mr Afenyo-Markin announced the lawsuit in Parliament on August 24, 2026, following allegations of extortion made against him amid a disagreement involving the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) and the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.
The suit also named Multimedia Group Limited as a defendant.
The Minority Leader maintained that the allegations against him were false and intended to damage his reputation.
The case later sparked disagreement over the service of court documents. Mr Gyamfi authorised his lawyers, Ayine & Partners, to accept the writ on his behalf.
Mr Afenyo-Markin’s legal team subsequently indicated that service had been completed and rejected suggestions that the Minority Leader was avoiding the process.
The court’s decision centres on the procedural validity of the action rather than the substance of the defamation allegations.