Afenyo-Markin withdraws defamation suit against NEIP CEO Eric Adjei

The Achimota Circuit Court has struck out a defamation suit filed by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin against the Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Eric Adjei, following the withdrawal of the case.

At the hearing on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, counsel for Mr Afenyo-Markin, led by Paa Kwesi Abaidoo, informed the court of the Minority Leader’s decision to discontinue the suit after engagements between the parties.

Lawyer for Mr Adjei, Gideon Koku Abotsi, confirmed that discussions had taken place between the two sides towards resolving the dispute.

Following the submissions, the presiding judge struck out the writ as withdrawn, bringing the proceedings to an end at the Circuit Court.

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Abotsi said the decision to withdraw the case followed an appeal by a High Court judge for the parties to settle their differences amicably outside the courtroom.

The discussions reportedly paved the way for the withdrawal, although details of any specific settlement terms were not provided.

The court’s decision to strike out the suit followed the withdrawal rather than a determination of the substantive defamation claims.

The case arose from comments made by Mr Adjei, who repeated allegations of extortion against Mr Afenyo-Markin.

The remarks followed criticism by the Minority Leader of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) and its Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, over alleged losses of US$1.9 billion under the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.

Mr Afenyo-Markin subsequently initiated defamation proceedings against Mr Adjei over the allegations.

The withdrawal of the suit marks a development in the legal dispute that emerged from the exchanges over GoldBod and the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.

The latest development comes a week after the High Court struck out a separate defamation suit filed by Mr Afenyo-Markin against Mr Gyamfi.

That case was struck out over defects in the writ, according to the information provided on the proceedings.

The two cases involved separate defendants and court proceedings, although both arose from disputes linked to public comments about the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.

The latest ruling means the defamation suit against Mr Adjei has been discontinued following its withdrawal, without the court determining the underlying allegations on their merits.