The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to desist from the political witch-hunting of Dr Johnson Pandit Asiamah, the recently appointed Governor of the Bank of Ghana.

According to the NDC, the opposition party’s continuous agenda to denigrate Dr Asiamah for defending the Bank’s approval to provide liquidity support to some banks is baseless and wicked, as it has failed to make a substantive case against him.

“For seven good years, the NPP pursued a wicked and baseless agenda against him simply because he defended the Bank of Ghana’s decision - approved by its board - to provide liquidity support to some banks. The NPP government deliberately dragged Dr. Asiamah through a prolonged legal ordeal, curtailing his freedom and imposing a heavy financial burden on him.”

“Yet, after all these years, they failed to prove any violation of the Bank of Ghana Act or establish that he caused financial loss to the state”, a communique signed by the Volta Regional NDC Communications Officer, Sorkpa Kafui Agbleze, noted.

He indicated that the party in the Volta Region recognizes the prosecution attempt by the erstwhile Akufo-Addo-led government as an orchestration to gag Dr Asiamah, adding that previous governors took similar decisions in the past.

Mr. Agbleze stated that the clearance of Dr Asiamah of all the allegations by the Office of the Attorney General makes him fit for the position.

“So why was Dr Asiamah singled out? His innocence has now been vindicated. It is clear he was targeted for political reasons because he defended legitimate financial decisions taken under the NDC government", he said.

Mr. Agbleze stressed that the Volta Region would not tolerate “injustice” from the opposing NPP “against its sons and daughters.”

“The clearance of all allegations against him is a well-deserved victory. It is high time the NPP clearly understood that their days of using Voltarians as scapegoats for their Machiavellian political tactics are over”, he further added.

He assured that the NDC would not go on the tangent of victimizing public servants directly or indirectly related to the NPP as experienced under the Akufo-Addo government.

Mr. Agbleze entreated Dr. Asiamah to remain resolute and ignore the NPP which is determined to destabilize him as he leads the Bank of Ghana, to help the country sail out of the economic woes.

“Finally, we urge the newly appointed, turbocharged Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson Pandit Asiamah, to remain focused and not be distracted by the empty noise of the opposition’s micro-minority - who, under their watch, plunged Ghana's economy into hardship and instability.

“The people of the Volta Region and all well-meaning Ghanaians stand by him, confident that he will impeccably deliver in his new role to the shock of the marauding NPP naysayers”, he concluded.

Background

A notice to withdraw all charges against Dr Johnson Pandit Asiamah who was the former Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, was filed by The Attorney-General, Dominic Ayine, on January 30, 2025.

Dr. Asiamah has been standing trial in two separate cases for his alleged role in the collapse of UniBank and UT Bank. He had been facing charges of fraudulent breach of trust, money laundering, conspiracy to commit crime, and violations of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) Act, since 2020 along with two other accused persons.

In the UT Bank’s collapse case, Dr Asiamah was charged alongside five others, including the Bank’s
Founder, Prince Kofi Amoabeng.

The notice of withdrawal of the two cases applies to only Dr Johnson Pandit Asiamah. The trials of the other accused persons are expected to proceed.

Meanwhile, the Minority in parliament has implored Dr Asiamah to excise patients and refrain from engaging in any operational or administrative activities at the Bank of Ghana until his nomination is approved by the Council of State.