No Evidence Against Kwabena Duffuor in Unibank Scandal
No Evidence Against Kwabena Duffuor in Unibank Scandal, Says AG
The Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has revealed that there is no evidence of theft or personal enrichment against former Finance Minister Kwabena Duffuor in relation to the collapsed Unibank Ghana Limited. This statement comes after the Attorney-General’s office discontinued the criminal case against Dr. Duffuor and seven others, citing a 60% recovery of the alleged losses.
According to Dr. Ayine, the decision to drop the charges was based on the lack of evidence to sustain a prosecution. He emphasized that banking failures alone do not amount to criminal liability, especially when liquidity support is applied through conventional banking operations. “If liquidity support is applied in accordance with normal banking rules and the bank still collapses, you cannot criminalise the conduct of the owners or directors simply because the risk did not pay off,” he explained.
The Attorney-General contrasted the Unibank case with the prosecution of Capital Bank, where clear evidence of criminal conduct was uncovered. He challenged critics to point to any evidence showing that Dr. Duffuor or Unibank directors stole money, stating, “There was no evidence that the Duffours stole money”.
The Unibank scandal dates back to 2018 when the Bank of Ghana revoked the bank’s license due to insolvency and unlawful related-party transactions. The state alleged that over GH¢5.7 billion was siphoned from Unibank, leading to losses for depositors and exposing weaknesses in the banking sector.
Dr. Ayine reiterated that the allegations against Unibank were not about theft or personal enrichment, and the decision to discontinue the case does not imply an absence of wrongdoing. The Unibank directors are still facing civil claims brought by the bank’s receiver, and the Attorney-General remains open to asset recovery as a way of addressing liabilities ¹ ².
The move has sparked debate, with some questioning the government’s commitment to fighting corruption. However, the Attorney-General’s office maintains that the decision was pragmatic and aimed at recovering state resources.
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Author: Korkor Anumu
