Afenyo-Markin to face NPP MPs today over Sammy Gyamfi’s extortion allegations

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin is expected to face questions from members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Caucus this morning over allegations of extortion made against him by Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi.

JoyNews understands that some senior members of the NPP Caucus consider the allegations serious and are demanding answers from their leader.

The allegations were made at the seat of the Presidency, where Mr Gyamfi addressed journalists in response to claims by the Minority in Parliament, led by Mr Afenyo-Markin, over reported losses associated with the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.

Mr Gyamfi subsequently repeated the allegations in an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile, where he challenged the Minority Leader to take legal action against him if he believed the claims were defamatory.

Mr Afenyo-Markin has categorically denied the allegations and indicated that he is considering his legal options.

However, his denial appears not to have fully satisfied some senior NPP MPs, who believe the Minority Leader needs to provide further clarification to the Caucus.

JoyNews understands that pressure from some members has led to a meeting of the NPP Parliamentary Caucus being scheduled for this morning, ahead of Parliament’s sitting later in the afternoon.

The meeting is expected to provide Mr Afenyo-Markin an opportunity to respond to questions from his colleagues and clarify the circumstances surrounding the allegations.

Parliament has been recalled from recess to consider urgent legislative business.

The development comes as the dispute between Mr Afenyo-Markin and Mr Gyamfi intensifies, with the personal allegations threatening to overshadow the Minority’s substantive concerns about the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme and the role of GoldBod in the transactions.