Capital Bank Trial: Ato Essien diagnosed with sleep disorder

This was disclosed during a trial hearing where he is standing against 23 charges with two others.

According to reports from the proceedings, Mr. Essien has not been able to come to court to testify because of ill health.

The presiding judge, Justice Kyei Baffour said “I has been shown a letter purported to have emanated from one Dr Rex Kwame Bonsu of Korle-bu Teaching Hospital.”

In the said letter, the court said, “it is claimed that the witness before the court who is the first accused in the case has been diagnosed with what the Dr claims is obstructive sleep disorder (Apnea)”.

The letter further stated that, “the blood pressure of the 1st Accused (Ato Essien) is also flatuating.”

Ato Essien Pulse Ghana

Justice Kyei Baffour, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting with an additional responsibility as a High Court judge, said “having opened his (Ato Essien) defence in respect of the charges against him which provides for anxious moments, these symptoms are natural products and I don’t see it as a good basis for the 1st accused being absent from court.”

Capital Bank was one of the banks that collapsed after the massive clean-up of financial institutions by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) starting in 2017.

Mr Essien and other accused persons have been variously charged with stealing, money laundering and conspiracy to steal.