Presidency denies granting pardons to Ato Essien, 10 others

The presidency has issued a strong denial regarding reports that President Nana Akufo-Addo granted pardons to 11 individuals.

In a statement released on January 6, 2025, the Director of Communications, Eugene Arhin, clarified that these reports were inaccurate.

This comes after earlier media reports suggested the President had pardoned individuals like William Ato Essien, the former CEO of Capital Bank, who was convicted for his role in the bank’s collapse.

These reports also mentioned others, including Philip Akpeena Assibit, convicted of causing financial loss to the state in 2018, and Akwasi Alhassan, serving a life sentence for murder since 1993.

The statement from the Presidency emphasizes that President Akufo-Addo has not exercised his power of clemency to pardon any of these individuals or anyone else as claimed.

 

Read the statement from the Presidency below: