The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, has challenged Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin to use Parliament’s oversight mechanisms to invite him to answer allegations that GoldBod was responsible for massive losses under the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme (DGPP).
Mr Gyamfi said he was prepared to appear before Parliament at any time to provide evidence and defend GoldBod against the allegations.
Speaking at the government’s Accountability Series on Wednesday, August 19, he urged the Minority Leader to move beyond press conferences and initiate a formal parliamentary inquiry into the matter.
“There has been a call for a parliamentary probe, and I’ve already stated on public record that I’m waiting with bated breath for Afenyo-Markin’s invitation,” he said.
Mr Gyamfi maintained that Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) already had the authority to invite him to explain GoldBod’s operations and respond to the allegations.
“I don’t know why he’s delaying and holding press conferences when, as Minority Leader, he can get the Public Accounts Committee to summon me tomorrow or today, and I will appear,” he said.
He argued that the committee did not require a special parliamentary motion or an order from the Speaker to begin examining the matter.
Mr Gyamfi disclosed that he had also reached out to the new Majority Leader, James Agalga, asking him to facilitate an invitation should Mr Afenyo-Markin fail to do so.
“I have, in all humility, reached out to the new Majority Leader in Parliament, Honourable James Agalga, and I pleaded with him that even if Afenyo-Markin delays in extending this invitation, he should extend the invitation to me, and I’m ready to come tomorrow,” he said.
According to Mr Gyamfi, a parliamentary inquiry would provide a transparent platform for both the Minority and GoldBod to present evidence and establish where responsibility for the reported losses lies.
“You don’t need any special motion; you don’t need any special order by the Speaker. Just get the Public Accounts Committee to invite us and come and sit down there and demonstrate to the whole nation where the Gold Board made losses or how the Gold Board is to blame for losses made by another institution,” he said.
Gyamfi Rejects Claims Against GoldBod
Mr Gyamfi rejected claims linking GoldBod to the reported losses under the DGPP, describing such assertions as inaccurate and misleading.
He reiterated his willingness to account for GoldBod’s operations and defend the institution against allegations that it was responsible for the financial losses.
His comments follow repeated demands by Mr Afenyo-Markin for GoldBod to account for what he has described as a GH¢22 billion loss involving the state’s gold trading operations.
The Minority Leader has argued that GoldBod must clarify its role in transactions conducted under the DGPP and account for the financial implications of those operations.
PAC Chair Calls for Investigation
Meanwhile, Chairperson of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, Abena Osei-Asare, has called for a thorough investigation into reports that GoldBod recorded losses amounting to US$1.7 billion, allegedly cited by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
She said an inquiry was necessary to establish how the reported losses occurred and whether public funds were adequately protected.
Mr Gyamfi, however, has challenged Mr Afenyo-Markin to produce evidence from the IMF report directly implicating GoldBod in losses incurred by the Bank of Ghana under the DGPP.
The GoldBod CEO maintains that a parliamentary inquiry would provide the appropriate forum to resolve the dispute through evidence and accountability rather than competing claims in the media.
