Politics of 2026-10-18
Afenyo-Markin urged to drop defamation suit against Sammy Gyamfi
Private legal practitioner Austin Kwabena Brako-Powers has urged Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin to discontinue his defamation suit against Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi following the High Court’s decision to strike out the case.
Speaking on GBC’s Current Agenda on Saturday, October 17, 2026, Mr Brako-Powers described the lawsuit as a bait the Minority Leader should not have taken and advised him to let the matter rest.
“I feel the case was a bait Honourable Afenyo-Markin shouldn’t have taken, and for me, I would advise him to let the matter rest,” he said.
The lawyer argued that [Mr Afenyo-Markin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Afenyo-Markin) should have exercised greater caution before initiating legal action, suggesting that the circumstances surrounding the dispute might have been intended to provoke him into taking the matter to court.
He said that although the judge had the discretion to consider other options, the court ultimately upheld the objection raised by Mr Gyamfi’s lawyers.
Mr Brako-Powers maintained that the ruling centred on procedural requirements and should not automatically be interpreted as a determination of the substantive allegations between the two men.
**Background**
The legal dispute followed comments made by Mr Gyamfi during the August 22, 2026, edition of JoyNews’ Newsfile programme, where he described Mr Afenyo-Markin as an “extortionist” during a discussion about the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme and reported losses of US$1.7 billion.
Afenyo-Markin rejected the allegation and subsequently filed a GH¢15 million defamation suit against Mr Gyamfi and Multimedia Group Limited, the parent company of JoyNews, on August 24, 2026.
He sought damages, a public apology, a retraction of the remarks and an injunction against further publication of the allegedly defamatory statements.
However, on October 14, 2026, the Accra High Court struck out the suit after finding that the writ of summons did not meet the procedural requirements for defamation actions under Order 57 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (C.I. 47).
The court held that the writ did not contain sufficient particulars of the allegedly defamatory publication to identify the statements complained of. It also rejected an attempt to address the defect through an amended process.
The ruling was procedural and did not determine whether Mr Gyamfi’s comments were defamatory. The court made no order as to costs.
Following the decision, Mr Afenyo-Markin’s lawyers indicated that they intended to pursue the matter to its logical conclusion after reviewing the full judgment.
Brako-Powers, however, urged the Minority Leader to reconsider that position and avoid prolonging the dispute.
He also cautioned against allowing political pressure and public exchanges to influence decisions on legal action, arguing that the matter required careful handling given the positions held by both men.
He maintained that continuing the dispute could generate further political controversy and urged Mr Afenyo-Markin to consider bringing the matter to an end.
