State prosecutors have filed fifteen fresh charges against the former directors and executives of the defunct UniBank Ghana Limited at the High Court in Accra. According to a GhanaWeb report and filings from the Attorney General office the new charges supersede previous counts to provide more specific details regarding the alleged financial misconduct that led to the collapse of the bank.
The accused persons include the founder of the bank Kwabena Duffuor and the former Chief Executive Officer Johnson Pandit Asiama along with several other former top officials. A report by Citi Newsroom indicates that the charges range from conspiracy to commit crime and fraudulent breach of trust to money laundering and intentionally causing financial loss to the state.
The prosecution alleges that the executives engaged in various transactions that resulted in the loss of over five billion Ghana Cedis. According to a 3News report the state claims that the accused persons dishonestly appropriated funds belonging to the bank for their personal use or for the benefit of related companies under the HODA Group.
Legal counsel for the defendants has previously denied all allegations of wrongdoing and maintains that the bank was solvent before the intervention of the Bank of Ghana. According to court proceedings monitored by Graphic Online the defense argues that the prosecution has not provided sufficient evidence to support the claims of criminal intent or personal gain.
The High Court has adjourned the case to allow the defense team time to study the new charge sheet and prepare their response. Official statements from the Judicial Service of Ghana confirm that the trial will continue with the presentation of witnesses from the Bank of Ghana and the receiver of the collapsed institution.