The Minority in Parliament has strongly criticised President John Dramani Mahama for allowing the discontinuation of criminal charges against Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama, the acting Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG).
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday,
5th February, the Minority, led by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano
North, Dr Gideon Boako, insisted that the prosecution should be allowed to
proceed despite Dr Asiama’s appointment.
They argued that dropping the charges raises
serious concerns about governance and accountability.
According to the Minority, the decision to
discontinue the case could have far-reaching economic and political
consequences for Ghana.
“Political and economic risk
analysts will not be kind to Ghana given that some global financial
institutions may refuse to do business with Ghana due to the uncertainty over
these charges being re-instated by a future Attorney-General. This will likely
increase the cost of Ghana’s international transactions,” they
warned.
They stressed that halting the prosecution
does not equal to clearing Dr Asiama of wrongdoing and that a future government
could still reinstate the charges, potentially undermining confidence in his
decisions as BoG Governor.
The Minority further questioned the
implications of Dr Asiama’s position on Ghana’s international financial
standing.
“Dropping the charges does not
mean he has been absolved of the crime. These charges can be brought back under
a different government; and what will become of the decisions he will make as
Governor?” they asked.
They argued that allowing an individual with
unresolved legal issues to lead the central bank could create uncertainties in
financial policymaking and damage Ghana’s credibility on the global stage.
As a result, the Minority announced plans to
formally notify the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of their concerns.
“We will be writing to the IMF
to draw attention to this, given that he will also, as Governor of the Bank, be
a member of the IMF Board of Governors, exposing Ghana to international
ridicule,” they stated.
They emphasised that transparency and
accountability should not be compromised, particularly at a time when Ghana is
under an IMF programme and requires strong financial leadership.
Source : 3news