PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE COALITION OF AFFECTED SAVINGS AND LOANS CUSTOMERS (CASLOC)
Date: Sunday, 24th November, 2024.
Time: 3:00pm prompt.
Venue: The Kumasi Cultural Centre.
THE PRESS STATEMENT
OVER 500,000 CASLOC MEMBERS THREATEN TO VOTE AGAINST THE NPP GOVERNMENT IN THE COMING DECEMBER 7TH ELECTIONS
The Coalition of Affected Savings and Loans Customers (CASLOC), is made up of the customers or depositors of the collapsed 23 Savings and Loans and Finance House companies, the 347 Microfinance companies and the 39 Microcredit institutions whose licenses were revoked by the Bank of Ghana in the months of April and August, 2019 respectively.
Our main aim and objective is to be a strong and dedicated group that will engage the government and all institutions involved in the financial sector clean up exercise, through all available legal means and the best ways possible, in retrieving all our locked up funds or monies.
During the revocation of the licenses of the above-mentioned financial institutions, the Bank of Ghana revealed that the affected customers or depositors of the above-mentioned collapsed financial institutions were in excess of 3.3 million people.
In the years 2019 and 2020, the majority of our members, that’s over 2 million people, were paid their locked up funds. Though, the majority of us were paid prior to the 2020 elections, our checks indicate that over 500,000 customers still have their funds locked up with the government, because payment ceased immediately after the elections.
After the elections of 2020, the leadership of the group, as well as the unpaid customers, have pursued the the government, through the Receiver of the above-mentioned collapsed financial institutions for their payments, but every effort in that regard has proven futile.
Recently, it’s been heard from most government officials, including the president himself, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the vice-president His Excellency Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia that we have all been paid.
Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah, the former Member of Parliament for the New Juaben South Constituency in the Eastern Region and former chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Finance was also heard on Okay FM, an Accra-based radio station, that every affected customer of the above-mentioned collapsed financial institutions have been paid of all their locked up funds or monies in full.
The CASLOC would like to state it categorically clear that it is not true that every affected customer of the above-mentioned collapsed financial institutions have been paid in full. As at today, over 500,000 customers are yet to receive their locked up funds or monies in full.
We therefore give the government a one week ultimatum to direct the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana to release funds to the Receiver of the above-mentioned collapsed financial institutions so that his(the Receiver’s) outfit can pay the rest of the over 500,000 affected customers.
Failure on the part of the government to adhere to the request of the unpaid customers of the above-mentioned collapsed financial institutions, will leave no other option in voting against the government in the 7th December, 2024 general elections.
SIGNED
Ezekiel Annor Akagbo Secretary
(0243874772 / 0200701020
Maxwell Atabila Abanga
Executive Member
(0243654072)
Samuel Okyere
Executive Member
(0544951139)
Dominic Owusu Sekyere
Executive Member
(0541377384)
