- Doctor Alleges Forgery in Capital Bank Collapse Case
An Accra-based medical doctor, Dr Kwadjo Ayisi-Ahwireng, has accused the former chief executive of Capital Bank, William Ato Essien, of forging his signature to fraudulently list him as a shareholder of the defunct lender, a claim he says has left him wrongly entangled in one of Ghana’s most high-profile banking collapse cases.
Dr Ayisi-Ahwireng, who runs a large private medical facility in Accra, told the court that he has never held shares or directorship in Capital Bank and has no business being sued alongside the Bank’s former executives. The only document linking him to the bank, a purported GHS5 million share transfer agreement for more than 330,000 shares allegedly purchased from Ato Essien, he says, is “a complete fabrication.”
“The signature purported to be mine indeed looks like my signature, but was not signed by me,” he stated. “I do not know where they obtained it from. I say it was forged, and therefore that document is not authentic.”
Loan Repayment Demand
According to court filings, Dr. Ayisi-Ahwireng is one of 15 defendants accused of breaching fiduciary duties to the failed bank. The official liquidator is also demanding repayment of an alleged GHS4.1 million shareholder loan plus interest. But the doctor insists he never received such a loan, was never vetted by the Bank of Ghana as a shareholder, and has never even held an account with the bank.
When pressed for proof of payment for the supposed share purchase, Dr Ayisi-Ahwireng said the liquidator only referred back to the disputed agreement, without providing any independent receipt or banking record. He also points to official records at the Registrar of Companies and the central bank, which make no mention of his name as a shareholder or director.
Reputational Damage
Beyond the legal dispute, Dr. Ayisi-Ahwireng says the case has caused lasting reputational harm, disrupting his medical practice and international supply chain relationships.
“My orders for medical supplies from the US and UK are met with all kinds of frustrations arising from my alleged relationship with Mr Essien and Capital Bank,” he said.
He emphasised that his only connection to Ato Essien was a personal one:
“I considered him a prayerful person and therefore chose to associate with him on that score but had no working relationship with him as far as Capital Bank was concerned.”
Counsel’s Position
His lawyer, Kofi Bentil, has called his continued inclusion in the case a “patent miscarriage of justice”.
“They [the Bank of Ghana] are regulators; it’s their job to verify shareholding records. Keeping him on the defendants’ list when the evidence does not support it is unjust,” Bentil argued.
Background on Capital Bank Collapse
Capital Bank was one of seven indigenous lenders whose licences were revoked during Ghana’s 2017–2018 banking sector clean-up. Essien was convicted in 2022 of stealing over GHS90 million from the bank. He initially avoided jail under a restitution agreement with the Attorney-General but was imprisoned after failing to pay the full amount, returning only GHS47 million. He is currently on bail pending appeal.
Dr. Ayisi-Ahwireng is asking the court to strike his name from the case, framing it as a matter of identity fraud, not corporate misconduct.
“Justice requires that my name be removed from this case so I can begin to repair the damage done,” he said.
