Audio Attachment: Listen to Kwesi Pratt Jnr. on Peace FM's 'kokrokoo' |
UK's Telegraph and Daily Mail, in the week, made shocking revelations about Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu's alleged involvement in money laundering.
A story was published in which the Asantehene is alleged to have deposited a cash amount of £200,000 and $200,000 into his account, breaching UK banking laws.
An official of the Ghana International Bank, Mark Frank Arthur, was dismissed after the Ashanti King allegedly gave him £350,000 to be physically transferred into the monarch's UK account.
The aggrieved banker, a dual citizen of the UK and Ghana, reportedly drove to his own home with the cash and then took it in an Uber taxi to the Ghana International Bank's city offices for deposit in Otumfuo's account.
The issue was disclosed in an ongoing tribunal hearing involving Mark Arthur and the bank to ascertain the legality of his dismissal.
According to seasoned journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr., since the issue cropped up in media publications; there appears not even one person who's calling for investigations into the matter.
He wondered why people haven't been bold to insist on thorough investigations into Otumfuo's matter.
Mr. Pratt believed the seemingly silence over the Otumfuo matter is setting a precedent.
To him, country’s laws don’t discriminate and so the same manner Otumfuo's issue is being treated should be the same way for any other person.
Kwesi Pratt was commenting on the report as carried put by the UK's Telegraph money laundering report on Friday edition of Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'.
He succinctly told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that the way the money laundering allegations against Otumfuo are being handled, "we're setting standards. It might not be Otumfuo tomorrow. It might be me or Nana B or my brother here. When it happens, let’s remember what we’re saying today and apply the same standard to everybody. It may even be an NDC bigwig’s issue that may come up one day which is like this or it’s even the same thing, we should remember what we’re saying today and set the same standard for it because the law doesn’t discriminate. One of the key principles is the equality of citizens before the law.
“You can say it anyhow, interpret it anyhow; I have no problem. With the understanding that, in the future, when a similar case happens; we won’t change our mouth to use a different standard but we will use the same standard”, he stated.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
Kwasi Pratt is wrong to raise this issue. To link Asantehene to money laundering is totally wrong. The Asantehene has done nothing wrong to warrant such verbal diarrhoea from Kwasi Pratt. No where in the story as reported by the UK newspapers was it mentioned that the Asantehene had done anything bordering on money laundering. There is nothing anybody can talk about. There is no precedence in this matter. Kwasi Pratt may not respect the chiefs of his tribe and that is his own business but he should not dare to extend his disrespect to the Asantehene.
Can Twumasi Ankrah tell us the difference between the two kingdoms.Perhaps you don't know what monarch is.Don't use hatred and jealousy to exhibit your ignorance about a queen and a king.Ghana will have been a complete monarch if not for nkrumah.
Kwesi Pratt can go to hell.The king will forever be blessed and protected by God.No amount of hatred and jealousy can affect the king.And who told kesi that we are all equal b4 the law.Monarchs have exemptions in life.Go to morroco and say this to their king and see where you and your family will found urselves.How can I even think of let alone associate criminality with the monarch.NPP and NDC came to meet the kingdom and so don't bring politics into this.Let any politician os any other person go and engage in similar activitie,we shall prosecute that person and when it's hard there i dare you to make reference to the king and you will meet ur match.
Huuum. One of the very rare occasions I agree with you. Suddenly, nobody is even asking the source of the money and the destination of it. I can only imagine if it were a some other king or a politician
OPEN LETTER TO NANA ADDO AND JOHN MAHAMA, WHY IS IT THAT UP TO NOW NANA ADDO HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO CLOLECT LOOTED MONIES FOR GHANA, PEOPLE. IS NANA DDO AND JOHN MAHAMA PLAYING ***barred word*** FARM POLITICS IN GHANA, SOME OF US KNOW THAT NANA ADDO IS MORE OF A PRESIDENT THAN HELPING GHANA PEOPLE .4.5 MILLION PEOPLE VOTED FOR NANA DDO TO COLLECT ALL STOLEN , LOOTED MONIES, UP TILL NOW , NOT EVEN ONE CEDI IS TAKEN, HAHAHA, THIS IS SCRATCH MY BACK I SCRATCH UR BACK, NOTE, DR, BAWUMIA HAS 16 MEN CONVEY WHILE MILLION OF CHILDREN WALK TO SCHOOL, N P.P IS FAILING GHANA PEOPLE, FROM GHANA PEOPLE
Massa; you are WRONG because any phantom payments into any UK account always trigger a banking alert ; if you withdraw any large amount or deposit any large amount the banks are required to ask question because of money laundering ; cleaning of cash to make it legit for criminals in the case of the Ashanthene where did the Ashanthene obtain such cash and if it was legit transfer why carry the cash in bags for payment when this Ashantehene knows it is against the law and will affect this Bank Manager when the alarm is raised ; this Ashantehene business smells of SHEEET with the intention of cleaning this dirty cash !"!!!!!!!because this money smells of corrupt cash.
there is no evidence that the Asantehene took any money into the Uk, so there is nothing to investigate. if he was caught by the police at Heathrow then questions could be asked.
This has nothing to do with NDC and NPP. If Otumfuo is corrupt or criminal by his money laundering act, let us condemn it as citizens. It does not rest only on NDC, NPP or politicians to speak against it.You as a Journalist can strongly come out to condemn it. Kwesi, why is it that in most cases you seem to have ostensible motive in dealing with issues as they occure in the real sense of them.Your real Motive in your submission is to shift the blame on NPP-Administration for not coming out to speak against Otumfuo's act. You are not Nkrumahist as you claim to be. Rather,you are damn in bed with NDC.
Kwame Nkrumah is NOT the founder of GHANA.
@ Oheneba ; how can you say such COW SHEET !!!!!!to defend this wayward OTUMFUO !!!!! ; the Queen of the UK will not transfer such huge sum into her private account if the money belongs to her people besides the Queen will not in her right mind put such criminal errand on her subjects to flout the law when she knows what she is doing will break the law and put her subject in trouble because she has wise advisers ; it is only this Ashanthene an educated illiterate who will bring his throne into disrepute and disgrace himself and his subjects; HOW CAN YOU COMPARE THE QUEEN TO ASHANTEHENE ; THE LAW IS THE LAW AND NOBODY IS ABOVE THE LAW NOT EVEN THE QUEEN OF UK