Asuopra Rural Bank Saga Lingers

AS OVER 500 AFFECTED CLIENTS AWAIT GOVERNMENT’S ACTION

The plight of customers of Asuopra Rural Bank in the New Abirem District of the Eastern Region is worsening by the day as authorities of Bank of Ghana look on without any action.

The customers, whose hard-earned deposits, going into tens of thousands of Ghana Cedis, have been locked up at the bank for some years now, are still counting their loss and pointing accusing fingers at the Central Bank for failing to protect their monies saved with the bank.

The Daily Democrat’s investigations show that the bank’s inability to return their cash to them is having very devastating effects, as many have become destitute, with their wards withdrawing from school for lack of fees.

This paper has learnt that, in the past two or three years now, some of the customers, who are farmers, have abandoned their crops in the farms because they cannot raise the capital to clear the land and buy some inputs or farming implements.

The situation is even worse for those who put their pension money into their accounts at the bank with the view to doing one project or the other with it. They have regretted that decision and currently are looking up to government’s intervention to save them from complete destitution.

“My Brother, if nothing is done to save us from this problem, don’t be surprised if you hear of some humanitarian disaster in this area. We have come to our wits end; we think this is the time government must truly prove that it has the down-trodden at heart,” an elderly customer of the bank told The Daily Democrat with a visible expression of despair.

Another customer asked, “If this was a flood that killed many people or destroyed properties in Accra, our leaders would have rushed to sympathize with the affected persons; are they waiting for us to die in order to shed crocodile tears? May be we are villagers who do not matter to them.”

Asuopra Rural Bank, one of the oldest banks in the Eastern region, has not been able to honour cheques presented by its customers for some four (4) years now without any tangible reason. The bank is believed to be in a distressed state but its skeletal members of staff that give it some appearance of life, claim attempts are being made to resuscitate it, after a proposed annual general meeting (AGM) that has not materialized for two years now.

Customers continue to troop to the premises on a regular basis but still do not receive any positive response from its management. They have written petitions to the Bank of Ghana and President John Evans Atta Mills but none has responded to their petitions. In spite of several publications, the situation remains the same or has even worsened.

The leadership of the Apex Bank at Koforidua, when contacted by the customers, said it was investigating the case in order to restore the bank to life, an assurance that seems to have faded into thin air.

Mr. Ahmed Ousmane, the Supervising Manager of the bank, last year assured this paper that action would be taken to salvage the situation but there is not sign of hope for the customers.

Over five hundred (500) customers have been affected by the Asuopra Rural Bank problem, in addition to those who are indirectly linked to it.