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Thaddeus Sory, Counsel for businessman Daniel Ofori, currently embroiled in a legal tussle with Ecobank Ghana Limited, has rebutted some assertions contained in a press release issued by the Bank on Friday, November 26, 2021, wherein the latter sought to establish the status of the case and explain outstanding issues.

According to Mr Sory, Ecobank Ghana has no application pending before the Supreme Court to reopen the matter, as the Bank sought to suggest in its media release.

In a statement issued in Accra in reaction to a media release by the Bank, he disclosed that after the Court official pasted the fi-fa notice on the Ecobank Building following Ecobank failure to make the payment ordered by the Court, a member of Ecobank staff removed the notice, showing contempt for lawful Court process.

Daniel Ofori has been battling ECOBANK in a 96 million cedi judgement debt, and threatened to take over the Head office should the bank fail to honour its debt obligations. This follows an order by the Supreme Court that the amount “which has been admitted in an affidavit of the Head of Legal Department of the Ecobank Ghana” should be reflected in the entry of judgment of Mr Ofori, while an outstanding amount which was being contested in a dispute in court should go ahead.

But in a bid to assure its customers and shareholders, lawyers for Ecobank issued a press statement indicating the matter was still being contested, adding that “there is no cause for alarm”.

The bank described attempts to take over its head office as a desperate and misplaced measure in the light of current proceedings before the Supreme Court. In the statement, the bank said it was using all legal avenues available to ensure the matter gets to its logical conclusions, following findings of a forensic audit that proves Daniel Ofori doctored material parts of documents he used to make his claim in court.

However, in a sharp rebuttal, Thaddeus Sory writing on behalf of his client said the best way for the Pan-African Bank to give assurance to customers, shareholders and the general public about its standing is to obey court orders.

"It is a matter of grave concern that, after the court official pasted the fi-fa notice on the Ecobank building following Ecobank failure to make the payment ordered by the Supreme Court, a member of Ecobank staff removed the notice, showing contempt for lawful court process. Ecobank should not seek to take the law into its own hands.

"Clearly, the best way for Ecobank to give assurance to its customers, shareholders and the general public about its standing as a bank is to obey court orders, specifically, at this time, the order of the Supreme Court to pay Mr. Ofori GHS 96, 304,972.41. Otherwise, we will have no option but to proceed with the fi-fa on the head office building,". Daniel Ofori's lawyer stated.


Read Thaddeus Sory's full statement below: