Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin says a court case arising from alleged defamatory comments by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, remains pending, with the parties currently awaiting a hearing date.
Speaking on Adom TV’s Badwam, Mr Afenyo-Markin said the court is currently on vacation and both sides have filed their respective processes.
“They have filed their motion, so my lawyers have received it. They have also filed their opposition, so I believe the date will be given. Things about court are about patience, so we are patient now,” he said.
According to him, he does not believe in using back-channel discussions once an individual crosses what he considers a clear boundary.
“I don’t act that way. Once someone crosses the red line, there is no back channel to discuss. It is a red line. You can’t just go and sit on TV, radio, and disgrace someone; if you do that, you have crossed the red line,” he stated.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said his decision to pursue the matter through the courts was also influenced by comments challenging him to produce evidence.
“After he said I should dare him, or maybe he has evidence, so what President Mahama said about hate speech, this is one of them. Be intentional about saying something about someone,” he added.
The Minority Leader stressed that his position as an opposition leader does not give him the liberty to make unsubstantiated statements against the government.
“The fact that I am the Minority Leader does not mean I take advantage of those liberties as an opposition leader to talk anyhow. My language must be measured. I must be sure I have a strong basis. I can’t come and sit here and say things against this current government just because I have a disagreement,” he stated.
On the substantive issue surrounding GoldBod, Mr Afenyo-Markin insisted that the concerns raised by the opposition are not based on partisan considerations or personal dislike for Mr Gyamfi.
He argued that the concerns are supported by findings from international financial institutions, particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
“The whole essence of the writ was also to get them to be responsible. As to the substantive issue, being the losses, it is not me or the NPP making any allegation. It is not a partisan allegation. It is not about our dislike for the CEO of GoldBod,” he said.
He continued, “There are two international institutions: one, the IMF; two, the World Bank. The IMF’s report was very clear that GoldBod dealings brought losses, and the loss sits in the books of the Bank of Ghana.”
He said the IMF had also cautioned the Bank of Ghana against involving itself in activities related to GoldBod.
“After admonishing the Bank of Ghana not to involve themselves with things related to GoldBod, the report was served on us. That was why we came out to talk about it,” he explained.
Mr Afenyo-Markin further cited concerns he attributed to the World Bank regarding GoldBod’s transactions and internal controls.
“The World Bank also said GoldBod transactions have no monetary mechanism; it is a weak control mechanism. So, its framework has incurred losses,” he added
