Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has rejected allegations made against him by Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi, describing the claims as false and defamatory and indicating that he will pursue legal action.
The dispute follows questions raised by Mr Afenyo-Markin at a press conference on August 18 concerning reported losses of GH¢22 billion, equivalent to about US$1.7 billion, under the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme (DGPP) in 2025.
The Minority Leader attributed the figure to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report and called for greater clarity over the financial performance of the programme.
GoldBod, which administers the programme, has rejected responsibility for the reported losses. Mr Gyamfi has maintained that GoldBod’s audited 2025 financial statements show a surplus and argued that the reported losses are attributable to the Bank of Ghana rather than GoldBod.
The disagreement intensified after Mr Gyamfi described Mr Afenyo-Markin as an “extortionist” during the ongoing public exchanges.
Mr Gyamfi challenged the Minority Leader to take legal action if he considered the statement defamatory, insisting that he was prepared to defend his position in court.
He has also maintained that the description was not intended as an insult but was made in response to what he described as an unfounded personal campaign against him.
Mr Gyamfi separately invited Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee to summon him to answer questions about GoldBod’s finances.
In response, Mr Afenyo-Markin said he had endured several days of personal attacks aimed at damaging his reputation and diverting attention from the financial concerns he had raised.
“These allegations are entirely false, and I reject them without qualification,” he said.
The Minority Leader insisted that his questions were raised as part of Parliament’s constitutional oversight responsibilities and confirmed that he intends to pursue appropriate legal remedies over the statements made against him.
In a formal statement, the Minority Caucus also defended the position taken by Mr Afenyo-Markin, insisting that the reported DGPP losses were not fabricated by the Minority.
According to the Caucus, the figure was contained in the IMF report and therefore requires a full and transparent reconciliation with GoldBod’s audited financial statements.
The Caucus said it would not respond to what it described as personal attacks against its members, including the Minority Leader, but rejected the allegations made against them.
It further argued that public officials are expected to maintain appropriate standards of civility and restraint under Ghana’s Code of Conduct and Ethics for political appointees.
The Minority Caucus said it would pursue the “appropriate institutional channels” to ensure that the GoldBod CEO is held to those standards.
The GoldBod dispute has therefore shifted beyond questions about the reported financial losses, with the disagreement now involving allegations of defamation, possible legal action and calls for further parliamentary scrutiny of the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.
By : Rachael Djabakie