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11.06.2018 Feature Article

UBS: Where Is Ghana's U.S.40 Billion - And When Will Switzerland's Most Honest Citizen Step Forward In This Matter?

UBS: Where Is Ghana's U.S.40 Billion - And When Will Switzerland's Most Honest Citizen Step Forward In This Matter?
11.06.2018 LISTEN

It might come as a bit of a surprise to many Swiss nationals that Ghana's relationship with their country, began as far back as 1828. In that year, a number of Swiss missionaries sent by the Basel Mission, arrived in the Gold Coast. Johhanes Gottlieb Schmid, Johhanes Phillip Henke, Gottlieb Holzwarth and Carl Friedrich Salbach were those obviously committed and passionate Christians, who made that historic journey, from Switzerland to the Gold Coast.

The people of Ghana and Switzerland have had a positive and mutually beneficial relationship since the date of their arrival on our shores, 18th December 1828. Alas, over the years since then, vast sums of kick-back-cash obtained through corrupt procurement deals have ended up in Swiss bank accounts belonging to crooked Ghanaians.

Unlike many of the politicians who succeeded him in the successor regimes that have come to power since President Nkrumah's overthrow in 1966, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first elected leader was not personally corrupt. Clearly, in light of the massive corruption in Ghana over the years since his overthrow, it was propitious that it was Nkrumah who headed the Convention People's Party (CPP) regime, which governed our nation after the British occupiers of our country - after years of relentless pressure on the UK authorities by nationalists in the Gold Coast - were finally forced by circumstances to hand power in our homeland back to Ghanaians after independence was declared in 1957.

Such was his selflessness and far-sightedness that at a juncture of our history when the need to do so arose, he apparently deposited money meant for the benefit of all the people of Ghana, in a bank account in the United Bank of Switzerland (UBS). It is alleged that the sum has now grown to over U.S. $40 billion. Naturally, UBS would be happy to hang on to such a huge amount for as long as possible - if it indeed it exists.

We are aware that for the most part the Swiss are an honest, fair and hardworking people, who have been generous in their support of the governments and peoples of many developing nations, including Ghana. On our part, today, Ghana is lucky to have a government that wants to take the country to a point where it no longer depends on foreign aid.

The question is: Who in Switzerland - amongst past and present employees of UBS aware of the existence of the money President Nkrumah deposited in the Oman Ghana Trust account in UBS - is willing to step forward and give details of the amount in the said Oman Ghana Trust account to the Swiss authorities, and through them, to the government of Ghana?

That windfall cash (as it were) will fund the transformation of Ghana into a prosperous society - one blessed with modern infrastructure including many newly-built green cities in which residents enjoy a better quality of life than is presently the case: a point in time when many who are forced by circumstances to live in unsuitable accommodation. Towards that end the question is: When will Switzerland's most honest citizen step finally forward in this matte

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