Pensioner bondholder Forum has demanded that the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta writes to them expressly declaring their exemption from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.
The government on Monday announced that it achieved over 80% participation of eligible bonds in the Domestic Exchange programme.
It assured individual bondholders and pensioners who did not sign up to the programme that their coupons will be honoured when they mature.
But despite the assurances, the Lead Convener of the Pensioner Bondholder Forum, Dr. Adu Antwi in an interview with Starr News insisted that the only move that will stop their continuous picketing at the Finance Ministry is the Finance Minister writing to them to expressly exempt them as was done in the case of pension funds.
“…Now the issuer has gotten 80% so he’s going ahead with the programme. The issuer wants us to remain self-exempt but that is not what we want. We want the issuer to exempt us as it exempted the Pension Funds as it has exempted the Medical Association Fund. Last three days or so, when the Medical people wrote a letter to the Minister or made a press statement, the Minister responded, through a letter to them saying you are exempted just as the Pension Funds are exempted,”
“What is preventing the Minister from responding to the letter we wrote. If you have exempted us or if you think what you have brought out to the public amounts to an exemption, what is your difficulty taking a letter and writing to the Pensioners that I refer to your letter so so and so please be assured that your bonds are exempted. The word exempted, if the Minister doesn’t want to use the word, the problem will not be solved,” The former Boss of the Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC) questioned.