Akufo-Addo Pardons Ato Essien, 10 Others As Part Of Clemency Initiative
- President Nana Akufo-Addo has pardoned William Ato Essien, the former Chief Executive Officer of the now-defunct Capital Bank, and 10 others
- Akufo-Addo's pardons were under his constitutional prerogative of mercy, as provided by Article 72(1) of Ghana’s Constitution
- The Dean of the NDC communications executives, Richard Kirk-Mensah, criticised the pardons in a comment to YEN.com.gh
President Nana Akufo-Addo has pardoned 11 convicts, including William Ato Essien, the former Chief Executive Officer of the now-defunct Capital Bank.
This pardon comes as part of a broader clemency initiative.
Source: Getty Images
Essien is the most high-profile name on the pardon list. He founded the defunct Capital Bank and was sentenced to 15 years in prison by an Accra High Court in October 2023.
He was found guilty of financial crimes relating to the mismanagement of funds, including the embezzlement of GH¢620 million in liquidity support provided by the Bank of Ghana to Capital Bank.
The former CEO was the first banking executive to receive jail time following the massive banking sector clean-up in 2017.
The Dean of the NDC communications executives, Richard Kirk-Mensah, criticised the pardons in comments to YEN.com.gh.
Kirk-Mensah claimed some notable names were cronies of the president.
"President Akufo-Addo started with family and friends and cronies and he is ending on the same note."
Full list of persons pardoned by Akufo-Addo
1. Akwasi Alhassan – He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death on 19th March 1993.
2. Beatrice Ofori – She was convicted on 6th June 2023 for 8 years with hard labour. She is currently 64 years old and is seriously hypertensive.
3. Frank Obeng – He was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison. He is currently serving his sentence in Nsawam Prison.
4. Stephen Nyarko – He was convicted of conspiracy to rob and robbery in December 2010 and sentenced to 30 years.
5. Osman Inusah – He was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery even though he was found not guilty of armed robbery.
6. Joseph Nana Kwaku Boateng – He was convicted for attempted export and possession of narcotic substances on 28th May 2019 and sentenced to 15 years.
7. Emmanuel Adu Mensah – He was convicted of possession of narcotics and sentenced to a prison term of 15 years in April 2024. He is currently serving his prison term in Nsawam Prison.
8. Kwame Twum Ampofo – In April 2024, he was convicted of possession of narcotics and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He is currently serving his sentence in Nsawam Prison.
9. Alexander Andrew Nii Lante Lawson – He was convicted of stealing and sentenced to 5 years in prison with hard labour GH¢532,193.26 on November 5, 2021.
10. William Ato Essien - He was found guilty of financial crimes relating to the mismanagement of funds, including the embezzlement of GH¢620 million in liquidity support.
11. Philip Assibit - Assibit was serving a 12-year sentence for willfully causing financial loss to the state.
What was Ato Essien found guilty of?
Essien pleaded guilty to misappropriating funds deposited at the bank by thousands of clients and to stealing, abetment to theft, conspiracy to steal, and money laundering, among other charges.
During the case, Ato Essien had tried to challenge the revocation of Capital Bank's operating licence by the Bank of Ghana.
He was initially told he would have been able to walk free if he could settle his debt of GH¢53 million to the state.
Severance for former Capital Bank staff
YEN.com.gh reported that the Bank of Ghana approved the payment of severance packages for former workers of the defunct Capital Bank.
The former employees had been agitating for their severance packages after they lost their jobs.
GCB Bank took over the operations of Capital Bank in August 2017 after the banking sector crisis.
Proofread by Samuel Gitonga, Copy Editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
