The Minority in Parliament has opposed the appointment of Dr. Johnson Asiama as the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, citing his past criminal charges as a major disqualification for the role.
According to the opposition caucus, Dr. Asiama had been standing trial for multiple offences, including fraudulent breach of trust and money laundering, before his appointment.
Addressing the media in Parliament, Member of Parliament for Tano North, Dr. Gideon Boako, argued that the charges against Dr. Asiama were serious and directly related to financial mismanagement.
He expressed concerns that appointing him to lead the country’s central bank could erode public confidence in the institution.
“The criminal charges against Dr. Asiama were not minor infractions; they included fraudulent breach of trust and money laundering, offences committed while he was an employee of the Bank of Ghana.”
“The fact that these charges were suddenly dropped before his appointment raises ethical concerns and undermines the credibility of the legal system,” Dr. Boako stated.
The opposition insists that Dr. Asiama’s past legal troubles make him unsuitable for the high office. They point out that as Governor, he would be responsible for ensuring compliance with financial regulations, the very same laws he was accused of violating.
“If Dr. Asiama is approved, he would be heading operations and activities of the Central Bank, which is clothed with the responsibility to check and avert the very crimes he was standing trial for in the courts,” the Minority caucus emphasized.
Criminal charges
The Minority also referenced a 2019 statement by the Bank of Ghana, which criticized Dr. Asiama’s handling of the collapse of UT Bank and Capital Bank. The statement, issued on August 23, 2019, accused him of failing to take appropriate measures to prevent insolvency and financial mismanagement within the banking sector.
“Dr. Asiama was Deputy Governor at the time when the decision was taken to revoke the licenses of UT Bank and Capital Bank and had every opportunity to propose any other strategy for addressing the insolvency of the said banks.”
“His approach, therefore, before the new management team took over, was simply to do nothing in the interest of depositors and the financial institution,” Dr. Boako stressed.
He argued that these past failures, combined with the unresolved criminal allegations, make Dr. Asiama’s appointment untenable.
Dr. Asiama, he said, should complete the full judicial process before assuming office to ensure that justice is served and public trust in the financial sector is maintained.
Dr. Boako said, “It is in the interest of both the state, government and Dr. Asiama himself to establish whether or not he is guilty of the crimes he has been charged with.”
“This sully attempt to discontinue the proceedings of the criminal charges against Dr. Asiama is the moral reason why we think he, a potential criminal convict, should not be heading an important and sensitive office as the Governor of the Central Bank.”
By Osumanu Al-Hassan/thenewsbulletin24.com
