UT Boss Beats Retreat

The Director of Public Affairs and Marketing of the Unique Trust Bank, Mrs. Sophia Lissah has vouched for the innocence of her boss, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the bank, Prince Kofi Amoabeng, suggesting that the ex-military accountant is now ready to appear in court and clear the fraud charges raised against him.

According to Mrs. Lissah, “Well, the battle lines have been drawn for a legal showdown to establish the veracity or otherwise of the case in due course, so let the court decide.”

“I know my boss very well; he is a very nice, simple, honest and Godly person. If he did not have his facts right, he would have backed off with amicable settlement to avoid all this brouhaha to preserve his integrity and peace of mind”, she pontificated.

Meanwhile, Nana Otua Owusua, has told The Herald, that she was happy Captain Amoabeng was now ready to respect the law by showing up in court to clear himself off the criminal charges.

In a rather brief telephone conversation last Saturday, she declared “today marks exactly 7 years since the fraud was perpetuated on me. I am equally ready to meet him in court. I can’t wait”.

Mrs. Sophia, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the case in which Mr. Prince Kofi Amoabeng has been dragged to court for allegedly, defrauding her property, “Nana Otua Plaza” at No. 23 Road, Ringway Estate at Osu RE, in Accra.

“Let me say that my boss could pay off by just a flip of his finger if indeed he has done such a thing. He knows his stature, fame and status and would not let himself be consumed by any debilitating allegation. But he would not let anybody cash in on his largesse by cruelly drawing public sympathy to win undeserved case”, said Mrs. Lissah.

“Why would your boss invite a snake to come to his house to bite him just because of one small finger of red plantain?” the GNA asked her.

“You sound philosophical. Indeed, my boss would not do such a thing, but if someone comes into my office like you and soon after, I shout of rape attack on me, the person has two options; he either appeases me with a handsome sum or he calls my bluff and asks for adjudication of the case to prove his innocence; so, my boss has chosen the second option, she answered.

“This woman has sent my boss to almost all powerful corridors for redress. The Police, the BNI, even to the Castle and now to the law-courts; well let’s see what the court decides because as far as am aware, my boss has paid off the whole amount involved. I cannot give the GNA the documents and the full details, since the case is before the law-court,” Mrs. Sophia Lissah recounted.

Mrs. Lissah said the woman had even held a press conference and had tried using some press houses to bring down Kofi Amoabeng, but when the facts are laid bare at the law courts, everybody would see the innocence of the man involved.

The queenmother, who is known in private life as Otua Sawyne and is also a novelist, has accused the UT boss of illegally releasing her land title on her house at the Ringway Estates-Osu, a suburb in Accra, which was in his custody, to the late Alexander Adjei to use as a mortgage to secure a loan of GH¢1,279,000 from the Home Finance Company (HFC) Bank.

Mr. Amoabeng has been charged with fraud together with Mr. John Aiddoo, lawyer for the State Housing Company (SHC), for aiding and abetment of crime.

The complainant’s case is that she agreed to sell the said house for GH¢280,000 and one Mr. Alexander Adjei, an interested party, was supposed to pay the money in three installments.

But Mr. Adjei (now deceased) on october14, 2005 made a payment of US$ 100,000 and could not pay the remaining amount. Madam Swayne, was due to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) so she proceeded to UT Bank where she borrowed an amount of GH¢25, 000 using the title on the house as collateral.

The prosecutor said Madam Swayne prepared and signed a deed of assignment with the condition that the final transaction would be witnessed by one ex-Legal Aid boss, Martin Nwosu, her lawyer, upon which the deed would be handed over to the buyer after full payment of the purchase price.

The prosecutor, however, explained that on September 27, 2007, Mr. Aidoo, without recourse to Madam Swayne, wrote a letter to SHC bank, informing it that the deceased had purchased the property, therefore, requesting them to consent to it by assigning the property to him.

According to the prosecutor, Mr. Amoabeng fraudulently released the title document on the house to the late Mr. Adjei to secure a loan facility at the Home Finance Company Bank (HFC), despite knowing that the house in question was still in the name of Madam Swayne, as the purchase price had not been paid in full.