Governor Addison will be fined or go to jail – NDC MP

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has said the Governor Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Ernest Addison could face legal consequences, including fines or imprisonment.

The comments come amidst growing protests demanding Addison's resignation over allegations of financial mismanagement.

The minority after organizing the #OccupyBoG Protest to demand the immediate resignation of the governor and his two deputies, Dr Ernest Addison replied to say that he is not resigning because the minority could have explored other channels to register their concerns rather than demonstrating as hooligans.

Making an appearance on Metro-TV’s Good Morning Ghana, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa indicated that the governor will soon be added to the list of governors who are facing criminal charges in other countries for mismanaging the economy.

To him, the governor could go to prison if he is found guilty.

“I don’t know what is happening this year. If you follow this international central bank news, it’s been a year of bad governance. In Nigeria, the former central bank governor has been jailed, he is being prosecuted. If you go to Lebanon, their former governor has also been blacklisted by the UK and the US, he has been indicted.

“In Slovakia, their former governor is facing criminal prosecution by all indications, Governor Addison will be adding to that list. If you look at the punishment for printing all that money without parliamentary approval is either a fine or a two-year jail term,” he said.

Ablakwa also criticized Addison's recent characterization of the protesters as "hooligans" and called for an apology.

“When he calls us hooligans, his boss, the man who appointed him who, does he know how he rose to fame?

Does he know that as a member of parliament under Rawlings, he left many demonstrations? So, in this attempt to describe the demonstrators as hooligans, the earlier he retracts and apologizes, the better for him,” he said.

Furthermore, Ablakwa emphasised the #OccupyBoG protest will continue until their demands for Dr Addison's resignation are met.

“But we are going to continue with the protest, we will hold more demonstrations, we are going to scale up and we will insist that this governor resigns,” he added.



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