Government pays $45,000 borrowed from DK Poison on ‘compassionate grounds’

President Nana Akufo Addo has approved an amount of 45,000 USD to be paid to Ghana’s first ever world boxing champion, David Kotei, popularly known as D.K Poison.

This comes in the wake of a petition D.K Poison and his lawyers sent to the Presidency in September 2019 asking that he be paid the amount of 45,000 USD which he loaned to the state of Ghana over four decades ago.

Having won his second title defense against Shigefumi Fukuyama in Japan in 1976, D.K Poison was asked by the then Military government led by General Kutu Acheampong to loan his fight purse to the state to enable it purchase mackerel during an economic crisis period.

According to the boxing legend he was only handed 34,000 USD out of his total fight purse of 75,000 USD.

He has since tried without success to retrieve his money from various governments.

But in a letter signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo, the finance Ministry have been instructed to ensure that the money is paid to the 69 year old D.K Poison.

The letter said the payment was being done on “compassionate grounds.”

“Ï write to convey the approval of the President of the Republic for an amount of forty-five Thousand United States Dollars (US$ 45,000) to be paid to Mr. David Kotei (a.k.a DK Poison) on compassionate grounds.

By a copy of this letter, the Ministry of Finance is requested to take the necessary action to give effect to this directive,” the letter from the presidency said.