Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has defended the Minority’s claims surrounding the operations and financial performance of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), insisting that the caucus conducted extensive checks before presenting its findings to the public.
According to the Effutu Member of Parliament, the Minority is “on firm grounds” and did not arrive at its position on the GoldBod controversy without carefully examining the available information.
He cautioned media houses against dismissing or contradicting the Minority’s claims without considering the extensive work undertaken by the parliamentary caucus.
Speaking in an interview with Paul Adom-Otchere on Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana, Mr Afenyo-Markin said any media organisation suggesting that the Minority had made factual errors in its assessment of GoldBod would be engaging in mischief if it failed to properly examine the evidence and the process that informed the Minority’s conclusions.
“We are on firm grounds. Any media house that will say that Minority got something wrong is doing mischief,” he said.
The Minority Leader explained that the information he presented was the product of detailed research and verification carried out by the caucus before it was made public.
He said the Minority was conscious that its claims would come under intense public scrutiny, particularly given the significance of GoldBod and the ongoing debate over the institution’s financial performance and operations.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said he personally subjected the report to further scrutiny before presenting it, stressing that the Minority was determined to avoid releasing information that could easily be challenged.
He described the verification process as rigorous, saying members of the team went through the relevant figures and information several times.
“I checked myself with my pen, underline, cross every T, make sure what we were releasing to the public would be unquestionable,” he stated.
According to him, he deliberately took additional time to review the report after receiving it because he anticipated that the Minority’s claims would attract close examination from the public, the media and other stakeholders.
“I said, no, let me be double-shot, because we know the public out there, they will scrutinise, check every data, make sure every information,” he added.
His comments come amid a heated public debate over GoldBod’s financial position, following competing interpretations of the institution’s 2025 financial performance.
The Minority has raised concerns about GoldBod’s operations and financial management, while the institution’s management has rejected claims that it made losses.
GoldBod Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi has maintained that the institution did not record the losses alleged by the Minority.
He has cited GoldBod’s audited Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2025, which he says recorded an operational surplus of GH¢907 million and an overall surplus of GH¢5.4 billion.
The conflicting positions have triggered further public discussion over the interpretation of GoldBod’s accounts, with both sides insisting that their respective positions are supported by official records.
Mr Afenyo-Markin, however, maintained that the Minority’s position was based on extensive examination of the information available to it and not a hurried political statement.
He said the caucus understood the importance of accuracy in dealing with financial information and therefore subjected the figures and other relevant details to careful checks before making them public.
The Minority Leader further suggested that the work undertaken behind the scenes was considerably more extensive than what could be seen in his public presentation.
“I wish I took a video to show the backroom,” he said, emphasising the amount of work that went into preparing the Minority’s position.
His comments are likely to intensify the debate over GoldBod and place further pressure on the relevant authorities and stakeholders to provide clarity on the institution’s financial records and the interpretation of its accounts.
The controversy has also highlighted the need for greater public understanding of GoldBod’s financial statements, particularly the distinction between operational performance, overall surplus and other accounting positions that may influence how the institution’s financial health is assessed.
As the disagreement between the government and the Minority continues, attention is expected to remain focused on the underlying financial records and whether the competing claims can be reconciled through a transparent examination of GoldBod’s audited accounts.
For Mr Afenyo-Markin, however, the Minority’s position remains unchanged: the caucus stands by the work it conducted and the information it presented to the public.
By 1960news.com
