In a Facebook post dated Tuesday, July 29, 2025, Dame questioned the consistency in handling financial crime cases, noting that while the GH¢2 billion uniBank collapse case has been discontinued, Essien remains in prison over outstanding repayments.
He wrote, “There is no justification for Ato Essien to be in jail,” and asked why some individuals are released under repayment terms while others remain incarcerated.
Essien was sentenced in 2023 to 15 years imprisonment after pleading guilty to theft, conspiracy, and money laundering.
As part of a plea arrangement under Section 35 of the Courts Act, he agreed to repay GH¢90 million after admitting responsibility for GH¢27 million.
He paid GH¢30 million initially and later GH¢9 million but defaulted on the remaining balance.
Dame argued that stopping prosecution in the uniBank case without enforcing comparable repayment conditions creates questions about fairness and equal treatment under the law.
He also cautioned that inconsistent prosecution policies without guaranteed restitution risk undermining public trust and accountability in governance.
Meanwhile, calls for Essien’s release have also been supported by John Apea of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, who has petitioned President John Mahama.
Essien’s conviction stems from the misappropriation of over GH¢90 million in Bank of Ghana liquidity support funds meant for Capital Bank, a case tied to the broader banking sector crisis between 2017 and 2019 that led to widespread bank failures and government intervention.
The current Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has recently dropped charges in the uniBank case involving former Finance Minister Dr. Kwabena Duffuor and others, citing partial recovery of state funds, though the exact amounts have not been made public.