Revised Notice on Dud Cheques: Sanctions for the Issuance of Dud Cheques

Banks, Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions (SDIs) and the Public are reminded that under section 313(A) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) as amended, it is an offence punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment of up to five (5) years for any person to issue a dud cheque1. To further discourage the issuance of dud cheques, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) introduced additional measures through notice number BG/GOV/SEC/2005/5. In spite of the above, BoG has observed with grave concern, the high issuance of dud cheques by some customers of banks and SDIs. This development has consequential effects on the acceptance of cheques for transactions. To discourage this malpractice, and to sustain confidence in the payment system, BoG has revised the sanctioning regime in respect of issuance of dud cheques for strict compliance by banks and SDIs as follows: