Kwame Jantuah, a leading member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and legal practitioner, has slammed critics over the controversy surrounding the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi.
This follows the circulation of a viral video in which Mr. Gyamfi is seen handing over an undisclosed amount of U.S. dollars to evangelist Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, popularly known as Nana Agradaa.
The video sparked widespread public criticism, with many questioning the appropriateness of such a gesture amid Ghana’s current economic difficulties.
Critics, including civil society organisations and the Minority in Parliament, have argued that Mr. Gyamfi’s actions may have breached public service ethics, the Foreign Exchange Act, and the Code of Conduct for Public Office Holders.
The Minority has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to launch a formal investigation.
This comes despite President John Dramani Mahama’s announcement on May 14, 2025, that he had accepted Mr. Gyamfi’s apology and issued a caution, effectively closing the matter at the executive level.
However, speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Mr. Jantuah defended Mr. Gyamfi, stating that while the optics of the gesture could have been handled better, the public outcry is exaggerated.
He cautioned critics against jumping to conclusions about the source of the money, rejecting claims that the dollars were siphoned from Gold Board funds.
Mr. Jantuah also pointed out what he termed public hypocrisy regarding the use of foreign currency in Ghana.
He compared the situation to the scandal involving former Minister Cecilia Dapaah, arguing that the scale of Mr. Gyamfi’s action is incomparable.
He said, “Look, we should not be hypocritical. In this country, when we read budget, what do we read our budget in? Do we quote only cedis? Is our economy not partly dollarized? So what are talking about? And who do you compare the magnitude of Cecilia Dapaah to the magnitude of Sammy Gyamfi? Even if it were 1000 dollars, compare to Cecilia Dapaah. Can you compare the two? Which will raise eyebrows? If this money were cedis, would we hear anything? It’s because it’s in dollars.”
He added, “For me, I think he could have done it better, no two ways about it. As a public figure there are certain things you don’t do in public. This should be a warning to all appointees of the president. You are embarrassing the president because you’ve come in on so much goodwill. Look NPP, there are bigger challenges we need to talk about…. I don’t understand why in as much as Sammy Gyamfi could have done it better, I don’t understand why they are making it as if Sammy Gyamfi is a pauper and because he is in GoldBod, he is taking GoldBod money and put in his car. Sammy Gyamfi is a lawyer. Lawyers earn dollars sometimes.”
