Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin says he is prepared to take legal action against GoldBod Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi over statements he considers false and defamatory.
The Effutu Member of Parliament announced the decision after Mr Gyamfi described him as an “extortionist” in the ongoing dispute over the Minority’s scrutiny of the Ghana Gold Board and the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme (DGPP).
Mr Gyamfi had challenged the Minority Leader to sue if he believed the allegation was defamatory, insisting that he was ready to defend his comments in court.
But in a Facebook post on Saturday, August 22, Mr Afenyo-Markin indicated that he intends to take up the challenge.
“On the defamatory statements made against me personally, I intend to pursue the appropriate legal remedies,” he said.
The Minority Leader, however, maintained that the legal dispute would not distract him from his parliamentary responsibilities.
He insisted that his decision to scrutinise the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme was driven by Parliament’s constitutional oversight mandate and not by any improper motive.
“As Minority Leader in Parliament, my responsibility is to help Parliament discharge its constitutional oversight function. My actions have been guided solely by that responsibility,” he said.
Mr Afenyo-Markin also rejected suggestions that he had acted improperly in the performance of his parliamentary duties.
He argued that public officials who face legitimate scrutiny may sometimes respond by attacking the individuals raising questions instead of addressing the issues under examination.
“I recognise that, in public life, those who are uncomfortable with legitimate scrutiny may push back,” he said.
He added that such individuals could resort to “false allegations, personal attacks and ridicule” in an attempt to shift public attention away from substantive matters.
Despite the escalating personal exchanges, Mr Afenyo-Markin said the Minority Caucus would remain focused on the gold purchase programme, the decisions taken under it and the use of public funds.
“Meanwhile, my attention, and that of the Caucus I lead, remains firmly focused on the programme, the decisions taken and the public funds involved,” he said.
The latest development marks a further escalation in the public disagreement between the Minority Leader and the GoldBod CEO, with the dispute now potentially moving beyond political and media exchanges into the courts.
