Adhere to highest standards — Knights of Marshall

The Noble Order of the Knights of Marshall, a Catholic-friendly society, has called on the public to adhere to the highest standard of discipline and integrity to help propel the growth of the country.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its Supreme Council meeting in Sekondi/Takoradi in the Western Region, the society said the recent crisis in the banking industry, which led to the collapse of seven banks, was a clear testament that certain standards and integrity were compromised.

“We note with regret the fact that long-cherished fundamental and professional standards associated with the operations of banks and financial institutions were compromised, leading to the collapse of some of them and loss of jobs with its concomitant effects.

“We reiterate that integrity should at all times be the hallmark of any service to humanity,” the communique, signed by the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Marshall”, Sir Kt Bro Ambrose Yennah said.

Representatives of the society from Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and the United Kingdom attended the meeting.

Crack the whip

The banking sector was thrown into turmoil following the revocation of the operating licences of seven banks by the Bank of Ghana (BoG).

Two of the banks, UT and Capital banks were absorbed by the GCB bank, while five banks-uniBank, Sovereign Bank, Construction Bank, Beige Bank and Royal Bank , were consolidated to form a new bank, the Consolidation Bank .

In view of the recent happenings in the sector, the Knights of Marshall urged the BoG to crack the whip and sanction any individual whose activities contributed to the crisis.

“We are concerned that these unsavoury situations with banks and financial institutions may also be present in some of our member countries in the West African sub-region. We expect the regulatory and law enforcement agencies of these countries to be proactive to nib them in the bud even before they become manifest,” the society added.

Commitment

The Knights of Marshall also reaffirmed their commitment to continue to work hard to transform the society for the better, adding, “we renew our unflinching commitment to our core values of integrity, charity, patriotism and service to humanity.”