Stanchart CEO cleared of contempt; escapes jail term

Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Ghana Kweku Bedu-Addo today escaped jail term after he purged himself, of a contempt conviction slapped on him by an Accra High court last month.

Kweku Bedu-Addo together with the Head of HR West Africa  of the bank Rosie Ebe-Arthur were cited for contempt after Standard Chartered Bank failed to obey the court's order restraining them from going ahead with a planned redundancy exercise.

Some workers of Standard Chartered Bank who were to be laid off this year, dragged the bank to court over the severance package being offered them.

But the court, presided over by Justice Kwaku Arkaah – Boafo, held that the two as well as the bank had duly purged themselves of the contempt they were cited for.

Citi Business News' Norvan Acquah -Hayford who was in court reports that lawyer for the workers, Prince Fredrick Nii Ashie Neequaye told the court that the bank had not fully purged itself of contempt, arguing that though the bank had recalled the affected staff, it had failed to yield to a request to explain and put in writing further instructions for the workers.

He added that his clients also have not received their salaries from March to May 2016 after the letter of dismissal was redrawn.

He told Citi Business News after court proceedings that he disagreed that the bank had fully purged itself of the contempt.

“The bank in my view has not purged itself…What is the essence of writing a letter and saying that you will give further instructions, and you have not given the further instructions up till now. If the bank can purge itself of the contempt then it will give my clients access and locations,” he said.

“But if the Bank has confined all of them into one small room at the Opeibea House, ten people, how do they work?” he queried.

But the Presiding Judge Justice Kwaku Arkaah – Boafo in his ruling during court proceedings said the request for further details on instructions and issues of salaries were not before him and could not rule on that as it was not within his jurisdiction to act on.

He urged the plaintiffs' lawyer to use another forum to deal with the matter.

Justice Kwaku Arkaah – Boafo ruled that both the CEO as well as its Head of Human Resource were free to go as in his view Standard Chartered Bank had fully purged themselves of the contempt as directed by the court.

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By: Norvan Acquah – Hayford/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana