Amankwah Kwabena Asiamah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Fanteakwa North in the Eastern Region, has debunked allegation that he gave a loan to the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, from the investments of customers of the Fanteakwa Rural Bank to aid the latter’s 2012 campaign.
The MP, in an interview, expressed worry about the allegation, describing it as a fallacy. “I never gave any money to Nana Addo to campaign, neither did I use the bank’s money to even fund my personal campaign,” he underscored.
Mr Amankwah, speaking to DAILY GUIDE, explained that during the 2012 campaign, his opponent announced on radio stations that he was going to use the bank’s customers’ money to campaign and advised the customers to go and withdraw their monies. He said they (customers) then rushed to the branches of the bank to withdraw their moneys, resulting in it collapse.
This, he further noted, made it difficult for the bank to pay back the investments of its customers.
According to the MP, his outfit managed to pay about 78 customers, leaving about 116 whom he said he was still putting measures in place to pay. Most of the customers have between GH¢500 and GH¢27,000 deposits.
Meanwhile, Mr Amankwah has pleaded with the customers to be patient with the bank, as “there are plans to pay back.”
The Bank has five branches at Suhum, Koforidua, Anyinam, Begoro and Nkawkaw, – in the Eastern Region – and all the customers of the various branches are said to be facing a similar problem.
The Fanteakwa MP indicated that he didn’t establish the bank because of politics. “When I returned from Europe, before I joined politics in 2008, I decided to establish a rural bank to help my people and also revive the Begoro State Farm, which I did; and the farm is still there, which I have employed over 96 people to work on. I never have any intention to use the bank’s money to campaign or to invest it in politics,” he claimed.
He disclosed that he had contacted his lawyers to take legal action against those behind the false allegation.
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