Dr John Apea, the head of Mission for the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, has stated that their petition for a presidential pardon for William Ato Essien, the embattled founder of the defunct Capital Bank, is not in defence of financial mismanagement.
According to Dr John Apea, the petition is grounded on a balanced and humane approach to justice concerning the health conditions of William Ato Essien.
Dr John Apea, “This petition is not a defence of financial mismanagement, but it is a call for a more balanced and humane approach to justice, one that takes into account not only legal outcomes but also the human condition and our moral responsibility as a nation,” Dr. Apea said.
“A nation must be strong enough to correct its mistakes and compassionate enough to protect its vulnerable, if we truly believe in justice, we must be willing to revisit outcomes that may not reflect our highest ideals, especially when life and dignity are at stake,” he said.
Ato Essien’s legal troubles began after the collapse of Capital Bank, which was among the financial institutions affected by Ghana’s banking sector cleanup between 2017 and 2019.
He was convicted of financial crimes, including the embezzlement of GH¢620 million in liquidity support from the Bank of Ghana, contributing to the financial instability and loss of confidence in the banking sector.
In October 2023, Essien was sentenced to 15 years in prison for failing to meet the terms of a settlement agreement with the state. The agreement required him to repay GH¢90 million as restitution to avoid jail time.
Despite multiple extensions since December 2022, Essien only managed to GH¢30 million upfront, leaving the remaining GH¢60 million unpaid, leaving the court with no choice but to impose the sentence.
Essien is reportedly suffering from serious, life-threatening health issues and has undergone several surgeries.
However, there were earlier reports some months ago that the former President Akufo-Addo had pardoned William Ato Essien.
But the Office of the President under the erstwhile Akufo-Addo government refuted claims that Ato Essien and ten (10) others have received presidential pardons.
Meanwhile, the leader and founder of Alabaster International Ministry, Prophet Kofi Oduro, also added his voice to growing calls for President John Dramani Mahama to grant clemency to defunct Capital Bank founder William Ato Essien.
According to Kofi Oduro, Ato Essien knows how to make money; he also knows how to build a business, so he should be pardoned to work and pay his debts to the nation rather than languish in jail.
Speaking to his congregants on Sunday, 6 July, 2025, Kofi Oduro stated, “Your Excellency, there is a petition coming to your table, by the lawyers of that young man. Please, that young man is too intelligent for prison, and at the moment, he has a health challenge.
On humanitarian grounds please could he please be added to the people that would be pardoned this year? Ato Essien is the name. That young man knows how to make money, he knows how to build businesses, he knows how to build even a nation”.
Even if Ato Essien owes the nation, let’s release him so he can work and repay, rather than let him die in person. I think that would be a waste of life”, he added.
