Private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has accused President Akufo-Addo and a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Otchere-Darko, of siphoning $800 million in the controversial Ameri deal.
He made the assertions while speaking to the media during the “Hands off our hotels” demonstration on Tuesday.
“Ask Akufo-Addo, the 800 million he added to the Ameri deal, where was he taking that 800 million dollars to? He had to use Boakye Agyarko as a scapegoat and sack him and say he was misled. Akufo-Addo was running away with 800 million dollars. That one too was it an allegation. What was his response, didn’t he say he was misled? Meanwhile, Boakye Agyarko said he wasn’t involved in the transaction beyond a certain point. He says the transaction was between Akufo-Addo and Gabby and they added 800 million dollars, ” he said.
New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful and former Minister for Energy, Boakye Agyarko, during an interview on Kumasi-based Asanteman FM, claimed that Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a prominent figure in the NPP, renegotiated the Ameri deal without obtaining consent from the government committee assigned to work on the deal.
Upon confronting Gabby about the matter, Agyarko asserted that he was told to keep quiet because President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was already informed about the actions taken by Gabby.
Agyarko recounted that he received a call from Gabby while he was on a flight to the United States, during which Gabby expressed frustration at not being able to reach him.
In a recent post on Facebook, some hours after Mr Agyarko’s comments, Mr Otchere-Darko made a statement accusing an individual of being a liar.
“What aaaa can one say to an energised liar, struggling with constipation?” he wrote.
Background
The Ameri Power Plant project was initiated in response to Ghana’s power generation challenges and the need to increase the country’s electricity supply to meet the growing demand for energy.
The project was awarded to Ameri Group, a Dubai-based energy company. Ameri was tasked with supplying and operating the power plant.
The Ameri deal was signed in 2015 under an emergency power agreement to quickly address the power crisis in Ghana. The agreement was signed during the tenure of former President John Dramani Mahama.
After the initial agreement was signed, the Ameri deal became a subject of controversy in Ghana due to concerns over its cost and terms. There were allegations of overpricing and lack of transparency in the agreement.
Following the change of government in 2017, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, initiated a renegotiation of the Ameri deal. The government sought to amend the terms of the agreement to reduce costs and make it more favorable to Ghana.
The renegotiation process led to the signing of a novation agreement with a new company called Mytilineos International Trading Company in 2018. Under this agreement, Mytilineos took over the management and operation of the Ameri Power Plant from Ameri Group.
The novation agreement was brought before the Ghanaian Parliament for approval, and after heated debates, it was eventually ratified by Parliament in March 2018.
Meanwhile, Mr Kpebu asserts that Ghana’s corruption perception index will hit its lowest point under President Akufo-Addo’s administration for the year 2024.
“Ghanaians are very angry. I had to leave court and come here. But some people don’t have that luxury but every day when you interact with people, you will find out that people are very angry.
“They are dissatisfied with the corruption-ridden Akufo-Addo governance,” he said.