The Office of the Presidency has dismissed reports claiming that President Akufo-Addo granted a presidential pardon to 11 convicts, including William Ato Essien, the founder of the defunct Capital Bank.
Essien, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2023 for embezzling over GH¢90 million of the Bank of Ghana’s liquidity support allocated to Capital Bank, was among those allegedly pardoned.
His legal troubles stemmed from the collapse of Capital Bank, part of Ghana’s financial sector cleanup between 2017 and 2019. He was found guilty of financial crimes, including mismanaging funds and embezzling GH¢620 million in liquidity support.
The reports also mentioned Philip Assibit, who had been serving a 12-year sentence for causing financial loss to the state in relation to fraudulent transactions involving a $4 million loan intended for the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA).
However, in a statement issued by Eugene Arhin, the Director of Communications at the Presidency, the Office of the President categorically denied the reports.
The statement categorically noted that the report is “inaccurate” and that no pardon has been granted by President Akufo-Addo.
The Presidency has urged the public to disregard any contrary information and rely on official communications from the Office of the President.
“The attention of the Office of the President has been drawn to reports circulating in sections of the media suggesting that the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo, has granted a presidential pardon to certain individuals.”
“We wish to categorically state that these assertions are inaccurate, and no pardon has been granted by President Akufo-Addo. The public is kindly urged to disregard any contrary information, and rely on official communications from the Office of the President.”
