‘I Will Pursue Legal Remedies’ – Afenyo On Defamation
Afenyo-Markin has rejected what he calls false and defamatory attacks over his scrutiny of reported losses linked to GoldBod and the Bank of Ghana’s gold purchase programme.
Minority Leader in Parliament, Osahen Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has announced plans to pursue legal remedies over what he describes as defamatory statements made against him amid growing controversy over reported losses associated with the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme. Mr Afenyo-Markin, in a statement, said he had come under a barrage of insults, personal attacks and allegations intended to undermine his character and divert attention from questions he has raised about the reported losses and the role of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) in the transactions.
He rejected the allegations without qualification, insisting that his actions have been driven by his constitutional responsibility as Minority Leader to assist Parliament in exercising effective oversight over public institutions and the use of public funds. “My actions have been guided solely by that responsibility,” he said, stressing that he had neither acted from any improper motive nor conducted himself inappropriately in the discharge of his parliamentary duties. The Minority Leader said the attacks would not deter him from pursuing answers on the financial issues surrounding the gold purchase programme. He disclosed that he would continue working with the Minority Caucus to initiate the necessary parliamentary processes for a full inquiry into the reported GH¢22 billion loss arising from trading undertaken by GoldBod and reflected in the books of the Bank of Ghana.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said the International Monetary Fund had reported a loss of approximately US$1.7 billion under the programme in 2025. He argued that irrespective of which institution’s balance sheet ultimately carries the loss, the money involved belongs to the public and Ghanaians therefore deserve a clear account of what happened. According to Mr Afenyo-Markin, a parliamentary inquiry should establish the identities of the off-takers involved in the transactions, the discounts applied to their purchases, the authority under which those discounts were approved and the fees generated from the deals. He also wants the reported US$1.7 billion loss fully disaggregated to determine how much resulted from foreign-exchange differentials, how much was attributable to the prices at which GoldBod bought and sold gold, and what considerations informed the management decisions behind the transactions.
He said the Minority would place its questions and sources in the public domain so that Ghanaians could examine the evidence and make informed judgments. “These questions belong in the public record,” he said. Mr Afenyo-Markin further accused unnamed critics of attempting to make him the subject of controversy because they were uncomfortable with the scrutiny he was demanding. He acknowledged that public officials who raise difficult questions may face resistance, but said personal attacks and ridicule should not be allowed to overshadow substantive questions concerning public finances. The Minority Leader maintained that the focus should remain on the gold programme, the decisions taken under it and the public funds involved.
On the personal allegations against him, Mr Afenyo-Markin said he would pursue what he considers appropriate legal remedies. “On the defamatory statements made against me personally, I intend to pursue the appropriate legal remedies,” he said. He did not specify in the statement the individuals targeted by the proposed legal action or indicate when any proceedings would be commenced. Mr Afenyo-Markin, however, made clear that the threatened legal action would proceed alongside the Minority’s parliamentary efforts to examine the reported losses. He said his attention, and that of the Caucus he leads, would remain firmly focused on the programme, the decisions taken and the public funds at stake. The development adds a legal dimension to the ongoing political debate over the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme, with the Minority Leader signalling that he intends to challenge both the financial questions surrounding the programme and what he considers defamatory attacks on his character.
By: Joyce Owusu
