Private Legal Practitioner, Andrew Appiah-Danquah, has petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to pardon the Founder of the defunct First Capital Bank, William Ato Essien.
Lawyer Appiah-Danquah argues that the ‘Reset Agenda’ that the president promised, which has received the overwhelming endorsement of the Ghanaian people, will not be complete unless it leads to the total reset of all acts of injustice perpetrated under the erstwhile regime.
He states that the greatest injustice of all is the persecution of William Ato Essien and the unlawful collapse of Capital Bank.
It is recalled that the Bank of Ghana issued a press release on August 14, 2017, announcing the revocation of the license of Capital Bank due to insolvency.
The CEO of the bank Essien was subsequently slapped with a total jail term of 95 years for multiple counts of stealing and money laundering. These sentences are to run concurrently hence, he will be spending 15 years in jail.
Despite reaching an agreement to refund GHC90 million to the state, he only managed to refund GHC37 million to the state, hence the imposition of the custodial sentence.
Essien was sentenced to 15 years in prison by an Accra High Court following charges of stealing over GH¢90 million of liquidity support provided by the Bank of Ghana to Capital Bank.
But in his petition to the president , Lawyer Appiah Danquah said “If this new era is truly about rebuilding Ghana on the foundations of fairness, integrity, and justice, then it must begin with righting the wrongs of the past. Granting a Presidential Pardon to Ato Essien will not only restore justice but will also affirm your commitment to a truly new Ghana—one where freedom and justice are not just words, but lived realities. Your Excellency, history is watching. The people of Ghana are watching. The time to act is now.”
The post President John Mahama petitioned to pardon William Ato Essien first appeared on 3News.
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