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General News of Friday, 31 May 2002

Source: Daily Guide

$42 Billion In Swiss Bank

A co-ordinator for the Oman Ghana Trust Fund has disclosed that about $ 42 billion belonging to the late Dr. Ackah Blay Miezah is stashed in Swiss Banks and has appealed to the Ghanaian government to initiate moves to retrieve the amount.

Mr. Gregg Fraizer, who has been campaigning for the retrieval of the late Miezah?s money says government should not allow the money to rot away. Mr. Fraizer was disappointed that his efforts to get government to retrieve the money have been met with opposition.

The money according to him was found in a large ledger book for the Oman Ghana Funds, which records every entry. He noted that several attempts by various preceding governments to retrieve the money have failed due to what he explained as ?human errors?.

In spite of the fact that many Ghanaians believe that Blay Miezah, the ?Ackarraka-chi?ackrraka-cho? man was a con, the co-ordinator insists that Blay Miezah came by the money through legitimate means. He claims that the money was inherited from Dr. Dubois who formed the Oman Ghana Group of Companies.

Over the years, questions have been raised about the validity of the claim that billions of dollars of Ghanaian money are being held in the Union Bank of Switzerland in the name of Oman Ghana Holdings. Since 1940, many politicians have been drawn into the high profile drama most of whom have died. Presently Mr. Fraizer is the only one among the lot, who claims to have been involved in the mystery for many years.

The drama began in 1945 when an American W.E.B. Du bois attended the Pan African Congress in England. Inspired by the energy of the African leaders, Dr. Du bois after the congress sent a proposal to the Chairman of the Union Bank of Switzerland.

The proposal, which was approved, was to take the interest that had accumulated in accounts which were over 100 years old and invest it into a pool, hence the $42 billion which became part of the capital of Oman Ghana Group of Companies later taken over by Blay Miezah.