United Party Petitions State Institutions to Investigate $1 Million Extortion Allegations Against Afenyo-Markin
Two senior officials of the United Party have petitioned key state institutions to investigate allegations of attempted extortion involving Minority Leader of Parliament Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
The petition, dated August 23, 2026, was jointly submitted by Solomon Owusu, Director of Communications and Spokesperson of the United Party, and Andrew Appiah-Danquah, Director of Legal and Constitutional Affairs.
The petition was addressed to the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, the Speaker of Parliament, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
At the centre of the petition are allegations involving Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi and Afenyo-Markin. The petitioners want the relevant institutions to establish whether the Minority Leader, either personally or through an intermediary, attempted to obtain US$1 million from Gyamfi.
The allegations reportedly emerged following comments made by Gyamfi during the Government Accountability Series on August 19, 2026. The GoldBod CEO had made claims concerning alleged attempts to use reputational attacks, political pressure and other forms of leverage to obtain financial benefits.
The petition also referenced allegations made by Eric Adjei, Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) and an associate of Sammy Gyamfi. According to the petition, Adjei accused Afenyo-Markin of extortionist conduct and alleged the existence of a group that used Right to Information requests to obtain information from public institutions before allegedly using the information in negotiations.
The United Party officials said the allegations were serious enough to require an independent investigation rather than being dismissed as political exchanges.
They emphasised, however, that their petition should not be interpreted as a declaration that Afenyo-Markin is guilty of any offence. Instead, they are asking the appropriate authorities to establish the facts and determine whether the allegations have any evidential basis.
The petitioners said they did not personally possess the communications, recordings, electronic messages or other evidence that could prove or disprove the allegations. They therefore urged investigators to obtain the relevant evidence from the people who made the claims and from any other individuals who may have knowledge of the matter.
They further called for Sammy Gyamfi and Eric Adjei to provide formal statements and for Afenyo-Markin to be given a full opportunity to respond to the allegations.
The petition also requested that investigators identify any alleged intermediaries and preserve relevant electronic, documentary, audiovisual and financial records that could help establish what happened.
According to the petitioners, if the allegations are substantiated, they could potentially raise questions about attempted extortion, corruption, abuse of public office or the alleged misuse of political and institutional influence for private financial gain.
On the other hand, they acknowledged that if the allegations prove to be false or cannot be substantiated, they could seriously damage Afenyo-Markin’s reputation and the image of Parliament.
The United Party officials have therefore called for a prompt and evidence-based inquiry, stressing the importance of allowing due process to determine the truth.
The petition also asks the institutions involved to acknowledge receipt, assign an official reference number and communicate the steps taken in response.
As of the time of the report, Afenyo-Markin had not publicly responded to the petition or the allegations attributed to Sammy Gyamfi.
The matter is expected to attract further political and public attention as the relevant institutions consider the petition and determine whether a formal investigation will be initiated.
Source: Thepressradio.com
