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 writThe court found the writ incurably defective and incompetent, meaning it could not properly invoke the court's jurisdictionAfenyo-Markin filed the suit against Ghana Gold Board CEO Sammy Gyamfi and Multimedia Group Limited over extortion allegationsGhana’s top stories, now easier to find. Discover our new search feature!

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.

A High Court dismissed Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s GH¢15 million defamation suit, citing a fatal procedural flaw in the writ. Credit: Sammy Gyamfi/Alexander Afenyo-Markin Source: FacebookAdom Online reported that 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.

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported on a petition which sought Isaac Owusu-Bempah and Prophet Isaac Nyarko's arrests and prosecutions.

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NPP youth organiser aspirant Adenta Kumi accused the two clergymen of making public statements capable of causing fear, anger and distress among Ghanaians.

The petition included alleged video evidence and calls on the police cyber surveillance department to stop the controversial publications from spreading online.

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Delali Adogla-Bessa (Head of Current Affairs and Politics Desk) Delali Adogla-Bessa is a Current Affairs Editor with YEN.com.gh. Delali previously worked as a freelance journalist in Ghana and has over seven years of experience in media, primarily with Citi FM, Equal Times, Ubuntu Times. Delali also volunteers with the Ghana Institute of Language Literacy and Bible Translation, where he documents efforts to preserve local languages. He graduated from the University of Ghana in 2014 with a BA in Information Studies. Email: delali.adogla-bessa@yen.com.gh.