Deputy Minority Leader Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has said that the comments by the former Minister of Energy Boaye Agyarko regarding the Ameri deal are jaw-dropping revelations which is also further affirmation of the long-held view of the Minority in Parliament that “the dubious and needless deal that was championed by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government soon after coming into office was nothing but a fraudulent scheme to shortchange the Ghanaian people.”
Mr Boakye Agyarko in an interview on Kumasi-based Asanteman FM, alleged that a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, re-negotiated the Ameri deal without the consent of the committee set up by the government to work on the deal.
Boakye Agrako explained that when he asked Mr Octeher-Darko about it, he told him to be quiet because President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was already aware of the renegotiation.
He narrated that he was on a flight to the United States of America when Gabby called him, lamenting about not being able to reach him.
“I told him I was onboard a flight travelling. Then he (Gabby) told me that he was sending me a document via email so I should check.
“When I arrived safely and went to my hotel room, I opened my email address and saw the document. To my surprise, Gabby had, on the blind side of the Committee set up and approved by the President to renegotiate with Ameri Energy Group, contracted a law firm to engage Ameri Energy Group and completed their negotiation and recommended a certain company to operate the Ameri Power Plant and extended the contract to 20 years.
“I sent Gabby a mail and asked him what authority he had to do that. And I told him Cabinet has given specific instructions to follow and his response was what makes me think that my Boss (President Akufo-Addo) doesn’t know about what he has done…so I kept quiet,” he is quoted to have said.
In a statement reacting to this development, Mr Buah who is also Member of Parliament for Ellembelle and a former Minister of Energy said “The outcome of this corrupt renegotiated deal effectively sought to extend the tenure of the original AMERI deal from 5 years to 10 years at a cost of $1 billion, meaning that the duration of the original contract which would have seen the plant revert fully to Ghana after 5 years, was now being extended to 10 years at a padded additional cost of $1 billion to the Ghanaian taxpayer.
“Mr. Agyarko all but confirmed in the said interview that this crude arrangement was led by President Akufo-Addo’s nephew with the expressed approval of the President who was not pleased that the Energy Minister at the time failed to cooperate fully with the scheme to fleece the Ghanaian people. The disagreement between the Minister and the President’s nephew which was exposed by the vigilance of the NDC Minority in Parliament subsequently led to President Akufo-Addo claiming he had been misled to grant Executive approval to the AMERI renegotiated deal, for which reason the Minister was eventually dismissed.
“The story of how the Ameri plant reverted to Ghana after 5 years would have been different but for the vigilance of the NDC minority in parliament.
“Time indeed has exposed the wicked grand heist that was being perpetrated by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government. Once again, the truth which is always hidden in the womb of time, has established that this Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government is incurably corrupt.”
Below is his full statement…
THE NEW REVELATIONS BY BOAKYE AGYARKO SIMPLY CONFIRM THAT THE AKUFO-ADDO GOVERNMENT IS INCURABLY CORRUPT.
Revelations made by Former Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko about the botched AMERI novation deal which eventually led to his appointment being truncated in 2018 have surfaced in a recent interview with Asanteman FM in Kumasi.
This jaw-dropping revelation is a further affirmation of the long-held view of the NDC Minority in Parliament that the dubious and needless deal that was championed by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government soon after coming into office was nothing but a fraudulent scheme to shortchange the Ghanaian people.
In the said interview, Mr. Boakye Agyarko lifted the veil over a tussle between himself and the nephew of President Akufo-Addo, Gabby Otchere Darko over who had the legitimate right and authority to champion the shady AMERI renegotiated deal that was going to witness elements in the Akufo-Addo government cream millions of dollars off the poor Ghanaian taxpayer.
While the former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko preferred to renegotiate with METKA, Gabby Otchere who essentially was acting for and on behalf of the family and friends cabal in government, chose to negotiate with AMERI.
The outcome of this corrupt renegotiated deal effectively sought to extend the tenure of the original AMERI deal from 5 years to 10 years at a cost of $1 billion, meaning that the duration of the original contract which would have seen the plant revert fully to Ghana after 5 years, was now being extended to 10 years at a padded additional cost of $1 billion to the Ghanaian taxpayer.
Mr. Agyarko all but confirmed in the said interview that this crude arrangement was led by President Akufo-Addo’s nephew with the expressed approval of the President who was not pleased that the Energy Minister at the time failed to cooperate fully with the scheme to fleece the Ghanaian people. The disagreement between the Minister and the President’s nephew which was exposed by the vigilance of the NDC Minority in Parliament subsequently led to President Akufo-Addo claiming he had been misled to grant Executive approval to the AMERI renegotiated deal, for which reason the Minister was eventually dismissed.
The story of how the Ameri plant reverted to Ghana after 5 years would have been different but for the vigilance of the NDC minority in parliament.
Time indeed has exposed the wicked grand heist that was being perpetrated by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government. Once again, the truth which is always hidden in the womb of time, has established that this Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government is incurably corrupt.