BENJAMIN A. ARYEE AND GHANA COMMERCIAL BANK [2001]DLCHRAJ6026

Date	2001-02-22
Suit No.	Our Ref: CHRAJ/68/94/726
Citation No.	[2001]DLCHRAJ6026

EMILE FRANCIS

[2001]DLCHRAJ6026
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B050">BENJAMIN A. ARYEE <o:p></o:p>(COMPLAINANT)<o:p></o:p>AND<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B050">GHANA COMMERCIAL BANK<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">(CHRAJ)<o:p></o:p>

Our Ref: CHRAJ/68/94/726&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DATE:
22/02/2001<o:p></o:p>

</div>commissioner:<o:p></o:p>EMILE
FRANCIS SHORT THE COMMISSIONER<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:31.0pt 31.0pt 1.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;mso-pagination:none;
border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;
mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 1.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">DECISION<o:p></o:p>

</div>INTRODUCTION<o:p></o:p>By
a complaint, lodged with this Commission and dated 26 January 1994, Mr. Aryee,
a Manager of the Respondent's Derby Avenue Branch between September 1983 and 11
June 1985, alleged that his summary dismissal by the Respondent in 1985 was
wrongful, and sought re-instatement into the service of the Respondent.<o:p></o:p>The
Respondent maintained that it summarily dismissed Mr. Aryee for having granted
unauthorized overdrafts in violation of its rules and regulations. However, Mr.
Aryee disputed that he committed an infraction of the Respondent's rules. He
instead contended that his dismissal was to punish him for his involvement in a
fraud perpetrated against the Respondent by one Mr. George Salami, a customer
of the Respondent, even though he himself was cleared of culpability in the
fraud.<o:p></o:p>Mr.
Aryee further claimed that it was only by a circular from the Managing Director
of the Respondent, dated 23 July 1985, after his dismissal, that the Respondent
issued instructions to branch managers prohibiting the granting of unauthorized
overdrafts. He said that prior to this circular, it had been a practice of
branch managers, accepted by the Respondent, to grant "deserving
customers" unauthorized overdrafts, described by Mr. Aryee as
"temporary facilities".<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:
.95pt;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">The
Respondent denied that Mr. Aryee was dismissed because of the Salami fraud, and
asserted that it had dismissed him for granting unauthorized overdrafts, which
had never been an accepted practice within its rules.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:
.95pt;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">Mr.Aryee's
complaint to this Commission followed his unsuccessful petitions to the
Respondent's Board in 1986, 1988 and 1989; to the Office of the President, in
1989; and subsequently, to the Akafia Commission, and the Castle Information
Bureau.<o:p></o:p>Shortly
after the Commission commenced investigations into the complaint, the
Respondent's legal representatives challenged the Commission's jurisdiction to
investigate the complaint as Mr. Aryee was dismissed in 1985 and before the
coming into force of the 1992 Constitution. However, by its letter of 5
September 1994, the Commission upheld its jurisdiction on the grounds that
Chapter 18 of the 1992 Constitution and its enabling act, Act 456, did not
limit the Commission's jurisdiction to cases "which occurred on the coming
into force of the Constitution on 7 January, 1993".<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:
2.15pt;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">The
Respondent also failed to respond to a number of requests for information on
the amount of overdrafts inherited and granted by Mr. Aryee while Manager of
the Respondent Derby Avenue branch. Despite an apology, dated 17 July 1998,
from the Respondent Managing Director, for "the behaviour of my Chief
Legal Officer", also stating that: "I appreciate your patience with
us and assure you of our co-operation henceforth", the Commission still
had to subpoena the Respondent Branch Manager of Derby Avenue in November 98,
and write again to the Respondent Chief Legal Officer in December 1999, to
request the same information.<o:p></o:p>