By:Hamza Lansah Lolly/Baba Mohammes Issahak
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is calling on Ghana’s top investigative bodies to probe Sammy Gyamfi, the acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) and National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), over a viral video in which he is seen spraying U.S. dollar notes on Evangelist Patricia Oduro, popularly known as Nana Agradaa.
At a press conference held in Accra, the party’s National Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye, described the act as “a blatant breach” of Ghana’s financial laws and a serious affront to President John Mahama’s newly announced Code of Conduct for public officeholders.
“The act of spraying fresh U.S. dollar notes is not only irresponsible but also a violation of the Foreign Exchange Act, 2006 (Act 723),” Nana Boakye said. “The law expressly prohibits dealing in foreign exchange without a licence, and the use of foreign currency in domestic transactions is illegal without authorisation from the Bank of Ghana.”
The statement of the NPP also cited the President’s Code of Conduct, specifically Sections 1.2 and 1.3, which require public officers to maintain integrity and avoid actions that could bring the office into disrepute.
The NPP raised further concerns about Mr Gyamfi’s role at GoldBod, an institution key to the country’s financial stability. “If Sammy Gyamfi, who is expected to help maintain sufficient reserves to prevent the cedi’s depreciation, is freely spending dollars as though it’s Ghana’s legal tender, then he clearly has no confidence in the Ghana Cedi,” Nana Boakye asserted.
The NPP press statement also invoked provisions under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044), demanding that Mr Gyamfi explain the source of the funds captured in the video. The NPP alleges the money could be proceeds from illegal activity and calls on law enforcement to investigate thoroughly.
“In the absence of proof of the source of the thousands of U.S. dollars found in his car, we can only conclude that the funds are linked to a criminal enterprise,” said Nana Boakye.
The party urged a full search of Mr Gyamfi’s properties and a probe into his tenures at GoldBod and the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC).
Drawing parallels with the Cecilia Dapaah case, in which the former minister resigned over a similar scandal, the NPP demanded that Mr Gyamfi be subjected to the same standards.
“We demand that Sammy Gyamfi step aside and avail himself for investigations,” Nana Boakye insisted. “President Mahama must act swiftly to suspend or dismiss Mr Gyamfi until this matter is resolved.”
