The United Party (UP) has petitioned Ghana’s anti-corruption and security authorities to investigate allegations of extortion involving Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin and an alleged network accused of using Right to Information (RTI) requests to pressure public officials and institutions.
The joint petition, signed by UP Director of Communications Solomon Owusu and Director of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Andrew Appiah-Danquah, was submitted to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), Attorney-General, CHRAJ, the CID, the Speaker of Parliament and the Inspector-General of Police.
The party says the petition is being filed in the public interest and seeks to establish whether RTI requests and political or parliamentary influence were allegedly used as leverage to obtain financial benefits.
The allegations follow a public dispute over the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme and GoldBod’s operations involving Afenyo-Markin and GoldBod CEO Sammy Gyamfi. According to the petition, NEIP CEO Eric Adjei subsequently made allegations linking Afenyo-Markin to an alleged team that used RTI requests to obtain information before individuals connected to the group allegedly acted as “negotiators.”
The UP argues that an alleged $1 million demand made on Sammy Gyamfi should be investigated as part of a potentially wider operation rather than as an isolated incident. It is calling on the relevant authorities to establish whether the alleged demand was connected to threats of reputational damage, adverse publicity, political pressure, parliamentary action or other forms of influence.
The petitioners are also asking investigators to identify any alleged intermediaries, agents or other participants and preserve relevant electronic, financial, documentary and audiovisual evidence.
The UP says that if the allegations are substantiated, they could amount to a serious abuse of political and institutional authority. It is therefore urging the relevant agencies to pursue criminal, disciplinary and civil recovery proceedings where appropriate.
The allegations contained in the petition have not been established as fact, and any investigation would be required to determine their veracity and whether any wrongdoing occurred.