Law doesn't discriminate; we're setting a precedent with Otumfuo's case - Pratt

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.