CHRAJ Issues final warning to ex-ADB Board chair over Gh¢50,000 “kickback” scandal

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has issued a stern reminder to Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II — Vice President of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, and former Board Chairman of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) — to break his silence and respond to explosive corruption allegations levelled against him, or risk the Commission proceeding without his side of the story.

In a letter dated 28 May 2026, CHRAJ said it had written to the traditional ruler on 27 April demanding his comments on a petition accusing him of soliciting a bribe and abusing his office while at the helm of ADB’s board. Weeks later, it said, he still had not replied. The Commission gave him a final 10 days to respond — warning that failure to do so would see it launch its investigation “without further recourse to him.”

It is a silence the petitioners say is familiar. They point out that Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II allegedly went quiet in almost identical fashion back in October 2024, when the Presidency itself demanded answers to the same allegations.

THE ALLEGATIONS

At the centre of the storm is a petition filed by two members of the Abene Council and Kingmakers of the Kwahu Paramountcy, accusing the chief of conflict of interest, corruption and abuse of office during his time as ADB Board Chairman under the Akufo-Addo administration.

According to the petition, businessman Collins Darkwah Aboagye was introduced to Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II while seeking a roughly GH¢12 million loan facility from the bank. The chief allegedly agreed to help him secure it — and later pocketed GH¢50,000, described in the petition as a “thank-you” payment.

The allegations don’t stop there. Darkwah claims that once the loan was approved and paid out, the chief asked to personally borrow GH¢2 million from the proceeds, promising to repay it later. That repayment, the petition alleges, never came — despite repeated reminders.

Frustrated, Darkwah took his grievance to the very top, petitioning then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The President responded on 4 October 2024 with a formal letter demanding the chief’s side of the story, while simultaneously ordering the Bank of Ghana to investigate. The petitioners say that letter, too, went unanswered.

Geographic Reference

THE FALL FROM ADB

The fallout was swift. On 10 October 2024, the Bank of Ghana directed Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II to resign, warning that his continued presence at the top of ADB was damaging the bank’s reputation. The very next day, ADB’s board convened and formally removed him as Chairman.

The scandal made national headlines, including a widely circulated Graphic newspaper front page: “Kwahumanhene Resigns as ADB Board Chair over Bribery, Unethical Conduct Allegations.” The petitioners say the coverage badly bruised the reputation of Kwahuman and triggered ripple effects across the Kwahu Traditional Area.

WHY IT’S BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT

With no institution having conclusively investigated the underlying allegations, the Abene Council and Kingmakers — through their lawyers, Kulendi@Law — filed a formal petition to CHRAJ on 22 December 2025, invoking Article 218 of the 1992 Constitution and Section 7 of the CHRAJ Act, 1993 (Act 456).

They want CHRAJ to determine whether the chief, while ADB Board Chairman:

• Solicited, demanded or received a private benefit from a bank customer — Collins Darkwah Aboagye;
• Breached the code of conduct governing public officials in his dealings with Darkwah; and
• Engaged in conflict of interest, abuse of office or administrative injustice.

The petitioners are also pushing for the Bank of Ghana and ADB to hand over records that could help establish the facts, and want both the chief and Darkwah given a fair hearing.

Geographic Reference

“A TEST OF GOVERNMENT’S ANTI-CORRUPTION RESOLVE”

The renewed CHRAJ pressure has reignited public debate. Concerned citizens told this publication that the case — involving a former chairman of a major state-linked financial institution — should be pursued independently of the chief’s political, professional or traditional standing.

They drew comparisons with other recent corruption cases involving former public officials, including the ongoing US legal troubles of former Tema Oil Refinery Managing Director Asante Berko, arguing that how government and its institutions handle the CHRAJ petition will say much about the seriousness of Ghana’s fight against corruption.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

CHRAJ has made clear it will not wait indefinitely. With the 10-day deadline now running, all eyes are on whether Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II finally responds — or whether the Commission moves ahead and builds its findings without him.

It bears emphasis – the allegations remain just that — allegations. Nothing has yet been proven, and CHRAJ’s investigation is expected to establish the facts and determine whether any laws, regulations or codes of conduct were breached.

For now, the matter sits squarely before CHRAJ — and a country watching to see if it will bite.

Source: Ghananewsonline.com.gh