Private legal practitioner Andrew Appiah-Danquah has formally petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to grant a presidential pardon to William Ato Essien, the jailed Founder of the defunct Capital Bank.
In his petition, Appiah-Danquah argued that the president’s “Reset Agenda”—which has been widely embraced by Ghanaians—must include correcting injustices committed under the previous administration.
He described Essien’s imprisonment as “the greatest injustice of all,” claiming that his conviction and the collapse of Capital Bank were politically motivated rather than a result of genuine financial mismanagement.
Essien was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of stealing GH¢90 million in liquidity support from the Bank of Ghana, which had been granted to Capital Bank before its collapse in 2017.
Though he initially reached an agreement to refund GH¢90 million to the state, he only managed to pay GH¢37 million, leading to his custodial sentence.
The lawyer contends that Essien’s case represents an unfair targeting of a visionary entrepreneur and that Ghana’s financial sector would benefit from his expertise rather than his incarceration.
Calling on President Mahama to demonstrate leadership and fairness, Appiah-Danquah insisted that pardoning Essien would prove the government’s commitment to justice and national reconciliation.
“If this new era is truly about rebuilding Ghana on the foundations of fairness, integrity, and justice, then it must begin with righting the wrongs of the past,” he stated.
The lawyer further urged the president to act swiftly, stressing that “history is watching, and the people of Ghana are watching.”
