My Job Title Is ‘Destiny Carrier’ – Defunct Capital Bank Boss Tells Court

Founder and Chief Executive of the defunct Capital Bank, which was affected by the bank collapsing spree undertaken by the Akufo-Addo government in 2018, has told the High Court in Accra where he is standing trial with others that his job title is “destiny carrier.”

After he was ordered to open his defense in the case in which he is facing charges including alleged stealing, Ato Essien claims his job title entails more to it than “entrepreneur” which is very tempting to use for business people of his variety.

When he was asked to tell the court what he does for a living he reportedly said, “I am the talk of the drive of the finance minister, a true entrepreneur that creates out of nothing businessman with the capacity to assume risk in other jurisdictions.”

He continued: “What I do is called a risk taker and in other common references they refer to what I do as the engine of growth for economies. And so my lord, I could have easily said I am an entrepreneur but what I do is bigger than that.”

“My lord I could’ve said I’m a businessman but what I do is more than that. My lord, I could’ve said I’m one of the anchors as an active player, as an engine for the Ghanaian economy, but my lord, I rather submit to refer to myself as a destiny carrier for this nation,” he went on patronising himself.

Mr. Ato Essien was led to give his testimony before Justice Eric Kyei Baffour by his Counsel, Baffour Gyau Bonsu Ashia.

It would be recalled that Capital Bank had been one of the banks which had collapsed in the supposed financial sector cleanup by the Akufo-Addo government. That so-called cleanup has widely been perceived as a political witch-hunt targeted at Banks which the private Bank of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, Dat Bank financial services, considered competition.

But in the case of Mr. Ato Essien, he together with others had been accused of misapplying the funds of the bank, with the 23 charges brought against them by the state including alleged stealing.

Two other alleged accomplices of Mr. Ato Essien, Mr. Tetteh Nettey and Fitzgerald Odonkor have also been asked to open their defense.

Apparently, the order for them to open their defenses came about after negotiations with the state to arrange repayment of some of the alleged misapplied funds broke down.

The case has been adjourned to November 11.