On Friday, April 24^th, 2026, the Ashesi Judicial Council (AJC) heard and deliberated on a case involving the unauthorized use of a student’s bank card for online payments.

 Background to the case:

Bank card details that had been shared in confidence for a specific transaction were subsequently used over an extended period for purposes the owner had not authorized and did not know about. When questioned, the accused denied any involvement. As a result, the complainant contacted the Dean of Student & Community Affair’s Office for guidance on retrieving the lost funds and helping investigate the breach. A subsequent audit by Ashesi’s I.T Office uncovered evidence that the accused had indeed used the card for an unauthorized subscription. The matter was submitted to the AJC for adjudication.

At the hearing:

The committee discovered the following:

1. The accused used the complainant’s name and card details to register and subscribe to several online services without authorization. The evidence on this was clear and uncontested by the documentation reviewed by the Committee.
2. The unauthorized use had a significant financial impact on the complainant.
3. By denying the unauthorized use rather than acknowledging it, the accused placed the burden of financial recovery on the complainant, who had to contact subscription vendors directly to seek refunds and explain the breach.
4. During the hearing, the accused continued to deny the allegations.

The AJC deliberated on the following infractions of policies in the Student Handbook:

• Theft is a crime under the Criminal Code of Ghana and is abhorrent to the Ashesi community as it erodes the trust among community members. Students who are found to have stolen property (or attempted to) from members of the University community are subject to an AJC hearing which could lead to dismissal. (Section 9.4)
• A student should not knowingly provide false information or make misrepresentation to any University office. (Section 9.2)
• Ashesi University, its students, and its professional associations will not in any way condone cheating, lying, or any other misrepresentations. Moreover, anyone who willingly conceals these activities will be considered accomplices and equally culpable. (Section 7.5)

 Verdict & Recommendations

After carefully reviewing all the facts of the case, the AJC concluded that the student is guilty of theft and lying and considers the nature of the breach of trust as grave, given that it involved the deliberate exploitation of a peer’s trust and kindness over an extended period. The student is therefore expelled from the university with immediate effect.

 The Committee further advises that:

1. Trust extended for any purpose should be treated as sacrosanct. When a peer or anyone helps you in a moment of need, honoring that trust is the most basic form of integrity in our community.
2. Students must be aware of the importance of safeguarding access to their sensitive information. Bank cards, passwords, and account details are personal. Even in moments of genuine need, find ways to transact that don’t require handing over ongoing access.
3. The principles at stake here (honesty, respect for what belongs to others, accountability when confronted) are the same principles that anchor our community of trust.

 Our code of ethics is central to our mission: to educate a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders in Africa, and to cultivate the critical thinking skills, concern for others, and courage it will take to strengthen a continent. This code applies to all of us, in every circumstance.