UK Bank Clears Otumfuo

The management of Ghana International Bank (GIB) in the United Kingdom (UK) has rendered an unqualified apology to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, over false reports about him.

The bank stated emphatically that the Asantehene had not indulged in any money laundering as reported by some media outlets, stressing that the public should disregard the false reports.

GIB further pledged to continue to support the Asantehene’s numerous charity works, notably in the area of education, which had helped thousands of Ghanaian children to further their education over the years.

This was contained in a press release authored and signed by Myddleton Communications Limited on behalf of the management of the bank.

“There has never been any suggestion by the bank that the king was or is involved in money laundering. In fact, we have no evidence to that effect. The bank has not in any of its submissions questioned the integrity of the king.

“The bank has maintained a long-standing relationship with the king and has worked closely with him on initiatives such as the Otumfuo Education Fund to provide IT education to children in deprived communities.

“This is a project that the bank is keen to continue to support,” the statement pointed out, adding that false media reports that Asantehene had engaged in money laundering were baseless and must be rejected.

According to the GIB, the case before a Tribunal in the UK was solely about Mark Arthur, the dismissed staff of the bank who decided to breach the bank’s policies and procedures, as well as UK laws regarding the deposit made by the king.

The bank disclosed that the Asantehene has nothing to do with the case.

“We are alarmed and disturbed over the false report which is concocted to suggest that the King erred.

“The Tribunal’s proceedings and its findings will be about whether the bank was entitled to dismiss Mark Arthur, as it did and not about Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II,” the statement pointed out.

The GIB said it respects the high office of the Asantehene, who is among the few powerful and respected monarchs across the globe, adding that the bank’s efforts to shield the identity of Otumfuo, who is a prestige customer in the case, proved futile.

“With a focus on the substance of the matter and for customer confidentiality purposes, the bank had applied for an anonymity order in September of this year ahead of the Tribunal proceedings in October.

“This would have eliminated the mention of the name of the king in the proceedings of the Tribunal. Mark Arthur however, contested this and won, thus exposing the identity of the king and his name in the proceedings.

“Otumfuo is clean, and the bank never mentioned the king nor identified him in any of the documents submitted to the Tribunal in its defence,” the bank averred.