Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, has hit back at Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin over his warning that officials of the current administration, including GoldBod executives, could face “scary” bail conditions if the New Patriotic Party (NPP) returns to power.
Mr Gyamfi dismissed the warning as an intimidation tactic and said he was not afraid of any threats because he and his colleagues were serving the country in good conscience.
“So I will go to prison in his brain, and I will have onerous bail terms in his brain, and I am not afraid of any intimidating tactics because we are serving Ghana in good conscience and our results and posterity will speak for us,” he said.
Mr Gyamfi made the remarks at the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, August 19, in response to comments made by the Minority Caucus, led by Mr Afenyo-Markin, at a press conference on Tuesday.
The Minority Leader had warned that the bail conditions facing officials of the current administration, including GoldBod executives, could become “scary” if the NPP returns to power, particularly over allegations of GH¢22 billion in losses at GoldBod.
However, Mr Gyamfi accused Mr Afenyo-Markin of failing to properly assess GoldBod’s performance before making such claims.
He argued that the institution had made significant progress in developing Ghana’s gold value chain, particularly in the area of local refining.
“Under your tenure, not a gram of gold was refined in Ghana, but today over 9 million tonnes of gold we have bought is refined here in Ghana, and we are changing the value addition story of the country,” he said.
Mr Gyamfi also described Mr Afenyo-Markin’s comments as “the fanciful efficiency of a palm wine bar”, saying they should be treated as comic relief rather than serious parliamentary commentary.
He criticised the Minority Leader for what he described as a departure from the standard of debate associated with previous occupants of the position, including J.H. Mensah, Papa Owusu-Ankomah and Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.
The exchange comes amid growing political scrutiny of GoldBod’s operations and financial performance, with the Minority raising concerns over alleged losses at the institution while the government has defended its record and initiatives in the gold sector.