Sammy Gyamfi refuses to file defence, hides behind technicalities — Lawyers
Lawyers for Minority Leader Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi of hiding behind procedural technicalities instead of defending the extortion allegation he made against him.
The accusation came hours after the High Court in Accra set aside the Effutu MP’s GH¢15 million defamation suit against Mr Gyamfi on Wednesday.
In a press statement, his lawyer, F. Paa Kwesi Abaidoo of Dehyena Chambers, said it was “curiously troubling” that Mr Gyamfi had taken that route. The statement noted that Mr Gyamfi made categorical allegations against the Minority Leader, publicly claimed to have evidence to back them, and dared him to go to court, yet had chosen procedural roadblocks over filing a defence.
The High Court, General Jurisdiction 1, presided over by Justice Akwasi Adjenim Boateng, set aside the writ because it did not set out the particulars of the alleged defamatory words used by Mr Gyamfi.
Mr Abaidoo said the Minority Leader had given full instructions to pursue the matter to its logical conclusion. “We will not be deterred by procedural setbacks,” the statement said.
Lawyers await written ruling
According to the statement, the Court Registry had not released a copy of the ruling as of 4:00 p.m. The legal team said it was waiting for the written ruling before deciding its next step.
Mr Abaidoo argued that Ghana’s civil jurisprudence, including Supreme Court decisions on non-compliance with procedural rules and Order 81 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (C.I. 47), treats procedural irregularities as curable. He invoked the equitable principle that justice should not be sacrificed on the altar of technicalities.
“The Mills of Justice grind slowly, but with great surety,” the statement concluded.
Why the court set aside the writ
The court held that the writ breached Order 57 Rule 2 of C.I. 47, which requires a writ in a libel action to be endorsed with sufficient particulars of the alleged defamatory publication. It set aside both the writ and the statement of claim filed on August 24, 2026, and made no order as to costs.
The ruling dealt only with the validity of the court process. It did not decide whether Mr Gyamfi’s remarks were defamatory or true.
Background to the suit
The dispute began over reported losses of about US$1.7 billion linked to the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme in 2025. Mr Afenyo-Markin demanded accountability for the losses, while Mr Gyamfi disputed his figures.
On the August 22, 2026 edition of JoyNews’ Newsfile, Mr Gyamfi allegedly described the Minority Leader as an “extortionist” and challenged him to sue.
Mr Afenyo-Markin announced the suit in Parliament on August 24 and filed it the same day. He named Mr Gyamfi and Multimedia Group Limited, owners of JoyNews, as defendants. He sought GH¢15 million in damages, a retraction, an unconditional public apology and an injunction.
The case later drew a dispute over service. Mr Gyamfi authorised his lawyers, Ayine & Partners, to accept the documents, while Mr Afenyo-Markin’s lawyers said service had been completed and rejected claims that he was avoiding it.
