Business activities came to a halt as scores of residents in the Kumasi Metropolis lined up on the streets to wave at the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, when he touched down at the Kumasi Airport on Thursday.
The Asantehene was taken through some principal streets of the metropolis before finally taken to the Manhyia Palace. Otumfuo’s Mawerehene, Baffour Osei Brentuo Hyiaman V, has said the Asantehene and the Manhyia Palace are not ready to respond to stories that emerged while he was away.
According to him, the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has never responded to such issues and was not ready to respond to the recent one. The Asantehene received a rousing welcome when he touched down at the Kumasi Airport amidst singing and drumming. He was taken through the principal streets of the metropolis and was finally taken to the Manhyia Palace.
Residents in the Kumasi metropolis had lined up on the streets to wave the Asante monarch when he arrived. Baffour Hyiaman V told Citi News that Manhyia was not interested in the money laundering allegations, and will not respond to the issues.
The Asantehene’s name popped up in the UK media, in a suspected money laundering case, after he sent a bank official to deposit a cash amount of £350,000 on his behalf.
According to the UK’s Telegraph, when Osei Tutu II, summoned Mark Arthur to his multi-million-pound residence in Henley-on-Thames and handed him a bag containing almost £200,000 in sterling as well as $200,000 in US currency with consecutive serial numbers, the bank official felt it inappropriate to ask too many questions.
However, the subsequent deposit of the cash at the Ghana International Bank, triggered a money laundering alert in the City of London and cost Mr. Arthur his job. The Ghana International Bank has since clarified that there is no suggestion of money laundering allegations against the Asantehene.
A statement from the UK-based bank, asserted that, the ongoing litigation between the bank and a former Executive Director, Mark Arthur, concerned breaches of the Bank’s internal policies and UK laws. These breaches were said to have happened when Mr. Arthur carried out a transaction on behalf of the Asantehene, reportedly involving £350,000.
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