More than fifty directors and shareholders of the seven collapsed banks are expected to face trial over their alleged involvement in the banking crisis.
The latest development follows the referral of their dockets to the Attorney General’s office after the conclusion of the work of a special team set up to investigate financial crimes in the country.
According to reports, a special investigative team is awaiting the appropriate charges to be preferred against these directors based on the outcome of their investigations.
The collapsed banks are uniBank, UT Bank, Capital Bank, Royal Bank, Construction Bank, the Beige Bank and Heritage Bank.
ALSO READ: Parliament won’t probe directors of collapsed banks – Finance Committee chair
So far, protecting the depositors has so far cost the state GH¢9.9 billion, according to the Finance Minister.
Also, the receivers of the banks are also pursuing 31,000 customers of the failed banks to recover more than GH¢10, billion in loans and advances.
Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Addison, has revealed that out of the GHS10.1 billion loans taken on by the receivers of the nine banks, only GHS731 million has so far been recovered.
Dr Addison said the receivership process has been painstakingly slow with other loan defaulters and shareholders of the defunct banks engaging in frivolous legal cases to sabotage the process.
Meanwhile, reports have revealed that uniBank, one of five banks merged into the Consolidated Bank Ghana limited, has the highest number of defaulting customers at 26, 558 with a total debt of GH¢4.6 billion.
Receivers of uniBank have already tried to recoup a GH¢5.7 billion debt from the collapsed bank’s shareholders with a plan to assume control of some of their multi-million dollar assets which were acquired under questionable circumstances.
The receiver dragged the 17 shareholders of the bank to court to force them to repay the GH¢5.7 billion debt allegedly owed.
Some of the properties run into millions of dollars with the most expensive of the property costing $250 million.
The Bank of Ghana has already made it known that shareholders of uniBank used monies from the bank to acquire estate properties in their own names.
In addition, Sovereign Bank had 298 customers owing some GH¢136 million.
For Royal Bank, 752 customers are said to have defaulted to the tune of GH¢1.42 billion whilst Beige Bank has 3,371 customers needing to refund GH¢872.
There are reports that for one of the failed banks, more than GH¢3.8 billion did not pass through the loan books.
