AN EMERGING group in Kumasi calling itself the Young Patriotic Ambassadors has called for the revocation of the appointment of Dr. Philip Yaw Bannor as the Registrar of HeFRA.
The position of the group is based on claimed reasons of irresponsibility of the Internal Medicine Specialist, who abandoned his family and children in 2017 and absconded to Ghana with loan facilities from about 14 US financial institutions.
Dr. Philip Yaw Bannor was appointed to the position of Acting Registrar of the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) in April 2020.
But the group is calling for a probe of the HeFRA boss on suspicion of his alleged dual citizenship status.
The Chairman of the Young Patriotic Ambassadors, Mr. Stephen Aniagyei alias Thunder said the citizenship of Dr. Bannor is suspicious having been disqualified recently from the parliamentary primaries of the New Patriotic Party at Kumawu.
He said it is dangerous for a non Ghanaian citizen who did not qualify to represent constituents in the Sekyere Kumawu constituency to hold a public office in Ghana.
“His continued stay in a public office would not only go to discredit his employer but also block the chances of more qualified Ghanaians with unblemished character to assume the position to serve mother Ghana in dignity”, the group stressed.
The spokesman of the group said it has become evident that Dr. Bannor whose credibility has been doubted by a US Court, is not responsible having neglected his children which culminated in a divorce suit by his estranged wife.
The Judicial Circuit Court for Hamilton County in the State of Tennessee in the United States of America presided over by Jeffrey W. Hollingsworth on January 21, 2022 granted divorce to Dora Bannor based on “inappropriate conduct” of Dr. Bannor and which verdict was upheld by the Court of Appeals of Tennessee at Knoxville on April 25, 2023.
The Court of Appeals of Tennessee at Knoxville also detected the underestimation of value of marital property in a financial statement filed by Dr. Philip Yaw Bannor, the appellant, to a trial court in a divorce suit.
Instead of $1,479,987, Dr. Bannor presented $837,955 in a financial statement to the trial court for the determination of a divorce suit against him.
The Court of Appeals, presided over by Judge Carma Dennis Mcgee noted that the total amount of indebtedness of $837,955 owed to some banks as presented in the financial statement to the trial court was not correct.
It noted that the said financial statement did not list the BB&T Line of Credit debt or the Bankers Healthcare Group debt.
“Even accounting for the omission of these debts in the total amount, the remaining debts added up to $1,112,915 making a total of $1.479 978 and not $837,955 as listed in Dr. Bannor’s statement of assets and liabilities”, the Appellate court noted in 21-page verdict, as reported by law.justia.com.
In the opinion of the Court of Appeals, the trial court did not value the debts but only stated $837,955 as total amount of debt relying on the statement of the defendant, Dr. Bannor.
Mr. Aniagyei called on the appointing authority to probe Dr. Bannor thoroughly based on the verdict of the US Court and the circumstances which led to his relocation to Ghana in 2016.
As a result of the findings of the US Appeals Court, the group says the integrity of the former USA-NPP General Secretary is at stake and should be sanctioned accordingly by removing him from office.
Mr. Aniagyei has, however, cautioned up coming politicians not to hide behind political parties to indulge in corrupt practices and expect to be shielded because they would be named and shamed.
By Kow Richardson
