{"id":363384,"date":"2017-10-20T11:04:55","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T11:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=363384"},"modified":"2017-10-20T11:04:55","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T11:04:55","slug":"otumfuo-wont-respond-to-money-laundering-claims-manhyia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/10\/otumfuo-wont-respond-to-money-laundering-claims-manhyia\/","title":{"rendered":"Otumfuo won’t respond to money laundering claims \u2013 Manhyia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Those waiting for an official response from the Manhyia Palace over the money laundering\u00a0allegations against the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, may be doing so in vain, because the Asantehene is not ready to open up on the matter.<\/p>\n

Otumfuo\u2019s Mawerehene, Baffour Osei Brentuo Hyiaman V, who disclosed this to Citi News<\/strong> on Thursday, said the Asantehene and the Manhyia Palace are not ready to respond to such stories emerging from the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

\"akwaaba-otumfuo-2\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[contextly_sidebar id=”VsgHLhWuzXBZUXbWRcf0ZhaM70Gtb3aa”]According to him, Otumfuo has never responded to such allegations before, and is equally not ready to\u00a0respond to this one.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, I don\u2019t even know what stories are making rounds. So for now, it is for you the press to handle\u00a0it yourselves \u2013 you started something and you know where it has gotten to. But it is not for Manhyia, and Otumfuo is not going to respond to this. He\u2019s never responded to anything before,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Mawerehene, who is a Special Aide to the King of the Asante Kingdom, and head of the Manwere Division of the Kumasi Traditional Council, made the remark in an interview with Citi News’<\/strong> Hafiz Tijani,\u00a0during the arrival of Otumfuo to Kumasi\u00a0following\u00a0his trip to Brazil.<\/p>\n

Business activities in Kumasi came to a halt on Thursday as scores of residents lined up on the streets to give Otumfuo a rousing welcome<\/strong><\/a><\/span> when he touched down at the Kumasi Airport.<\/p>\n

\"akwaaba-otumfuo-4\"<\/p>\n

Background<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Asantehene\u2019s name popped up in the\u00a0UK media<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, in a suspected money laundering case, after he sent a bank official to deposit a cash amount of \u00a3350,000 on his behalf.<\/p>\n

According to the UK\u2019s Telegraph, when Osei Tutu II, summoned Mark Arthur to his multi-million-pound residence in Henley-on-Thames and handed him a bag containing almost \u00a3200,000 in sterling as well as $200,000 in US currency with consecutive serial numbers, the bank official felt it inappropriate to ask too many questions.<\/p>\n

However, the subsequent deposit of the cash at the Ghana International Bank, triggered a money laundering alert in the City of London and cost Mr. Arthur his job.<\/p>\n

Asantehene money laundering claims baseless \u2013 Ghana Intl. Bank<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Ghana International Bank has since clarified that\u00a0there is no\u00a0suggestion of\u00a0money laundering allegations against the Asantehene<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A statement from the UK-based bank, asserted that, the ongoing\u00a0litigation between the bank and a former Executive Director, Mark Arthur, concerned\u00a0breaches of the Bank\u2019s internal policies and UK laws.<\/p>\n

These breaches were said to have happened when Mr. Arthur carried out a transaction on behalf of the Asantehene, reportedly involving\u00a0\u00a3350,000.<\/p>\n

Youth lock up Daily Guide office for \u2018defaming\u2019 Otumfuo<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Kumasi Office of the Daily Guide Newspaper, was locked up<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0on Wednesday by the Kumasi Youth Association who claim a recent publication by the private newspaper had defamed the Asantehene.<\/p>\n

They youth placed notices at the entrance of the office, demanding an immediate apology and retraction of the story by the newspaper.<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

By: Godwin A. Allotey &\u00a0Hafiz Tijani\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n

Follow @AlloteyGodwin<\/a>
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