Dr. Ernest Addison
An Accra High Court has subpoenaed the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to produce the statements of account of defunct Capital Bank between the period of June 2015 and August 2017.
This followed an application by counsel for the embattled founder and Chief Executive Officer of the collapsed bank, William Ato Essien, who urged the court to subpoena the Governor of the Central Bank to produce the documents.
Baffuor Gyawu Bonsu Ashia, who held brief for Thaddeus Sory, counsel for the accused person, made the request after their first defence witness, Dr. Isaac Nyame had concluded his evidence-in-chief, cross-examination by the prosecution and was discharged by the court.
The court, presided over by Justice Eric Kyei Baffour, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court judge, granted the request and ordered the registrar of the court “to seal a subpoena directed at the Governor of Bank of Ghana who shall direct the appropriate department of the Bank of Ghana that is in charge of the statement of account of commercial banks to produce the bank statements of Capital Bank (now in receivership) from June 2015 to August 2017.”
He added that an official of the Bank of Ghana is to appear in court on March 10, 2022, to tender the statement of account before the court. He adjourned the trial to March 10, 2022.
Defence Witness
Mr. Essien, who alongside the defunct bank’s former Managing Director, Fitzgerald Odonkor, together with Tetteh Nettey, a former Managing Director of MC Management Service owned by Mr. Essien, have been charged with 23 counts of conspiracy, stealing and money laundering, yesterday called his first witness.
The witness, Dr. Isaac Nyame, a chartered accountant, was contracted by Ato Essien’s solicitors to review and prepare a reconciliation report on funds flow and related balances.
He tendered his report on the analysis and was cross-examined by Anastasia Karimu, an Assistant State Attorney who put it to him that he had no idea about the specific offences the accused person is alleged to have committed, and he said yes.
She put it to the witness that GH¢130 million invested into Sovereign Bank by the shareholders is still not sitting in the books of Consolidated Bank Ghana contrary to his report, but the witness disagreed.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak