Dr. Johnson Asiama
The legal battle against Dr. Johnson Asiama, a former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, has dragged on for over seven years, curtailing his freedom and imposing significant financial burdens in legal fees.
The charges levied against him—breach of the Bank of Ghana Act and causing financial loss—have not been substantiated, yet the prosecution persisted despite the fact that no financial loss occurred. More significantly, Dr. Asiama became the target of political persecution because he defended the legitimacy of certain financial decisions made under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government and pushed back against politically motivated accusations.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, which took over in 2017, saw his actions as defiant and singled him out for legal harassment. His prosecution was never about justice; it was about punishing a public official who refused to betray his principles. This article argues why the case against Dr. Asiama was a politically motivated witch hunt that should have never happened.”
Truth is that, Dr Asiama only performed his assigned roles as part of Management of Bank of Ghana to address a systemic threat to the banking sector. As an official matter, all laid down processes at the Bank of Ghana were followed, and everything was based on technical recommendations from the Banking Supervision Department. All the official memos are there for everyone to see. There is no evidence that he stood to gain or gained anything personally from any of these; and he never took any unreasonable risk of the occurrence of any adverse consequences, to warrant prosecution for nearly seven (7) years.
Indeed, based on the facts and also base on investigations conducted by the CID in support of prosecution and the robust defence by Dr. Asiama and supported by authentic documentary evidence, the then Attorney General, Mr. Godfred Dame actually authored an internal memo expressing frustration over the absence of cogent evidence to be successful in the prosecution of Dr. Asiama. Hence, Mr. Godfred Dame even recommended the cessation of the trial and withdrawal of all charges against Dr. Asiama.
The constitutional discretion given to the Attorney General to prosecute is also a discretion to believe in charges preferred against accused persons and the supporting pieces of evidence. The AG has the authority to decide which cases to pursue based on the evidence available, public interest and other relevant factors. In other words, the AG’s discretion is crucial in ensuring that prosecutions are conducted fairly and justly, taking into account the circumstances of each case.
After reviewing Dr. Asiama’s file including the internal memo authored by the former AG, Mr. Godfred Dame, the current AG realized that it would not be in the public interest for the state to continue the prosecution of Dr. Asiama, hence the withdrawal.
What is clear is that, the case against Dr. Johnson Asiama was never about justice. Iit was a political witch hunt orchestrated by the NPP government as part of a broader attempt to silence and punish officials associated with the previous NDC administration. The liquidity support provided to UnibanK and UT Bank was an official Bank of Ghana decision that was meant to stabilize the financial sector. No financial loss occurred, and the transactions were fully accounted for.
Furthermore, his prosecution was clearly selective, as other officials (such as the current Governor) who approved similar liquidity support packages for the same Unibank (even when under Administration).
Ghana must move beyond political divisions and focus on harnessing the expertise of capable professionals who can help drive national progress. Dr. Asiama is a seasoned economist whose objective approach and commitment to sound financial policies can contribute meaningfully to solving the country’s economic challenges. As a nation, we should be encouraging problem solvers from all backgrounds to work together for a stronger and more stable economy.
By Daniel Armah, a banking professional