Chairman of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, Samuel Atta Akyea, has advised the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) against making divisive statements in its quest for political power.
His remarks come in response to the NDC’s National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, who has vowed that a future NDC administration will take legal action against government officials and individuals implicated in the $12 million expenditure on the suspended Gold Royalties Monetisation Transaction, also known as the Agyapa deal.
Mr. Akyea emphasized that while the opposition is determined to win the election, it should avoid making statements that could jeopardize the peace and security of the country.
Speaking on JoyFM’s Top Story on February 19, he said, “Bear in mind that in this feverish pitch to succeed Akufo-Addo, NDC should not sort of make a fetish of every issue as if everything is criminal.
“This nation is not safe with this level of propaganda and press conferences are not just conclusive evidence of culpability and criminality as it were. I want to stress also let’s be careful. If there is a poor error of judgment in the investment in Agyapa, it will not be tantamount to criminality.
The Agyapa deal was enacted through the Minerals Income Investment Fund Act, 2018 (MIIF Act 978) with the primary objective of leveraging the nation’s mineral resources to benefit its citizens and ensure the sustainable receipt of royalties from gold mining companies.
However, the deal faced significant criticism and was ultimately suspended by President Nana Akufo-Addo in 2021 following concerns raised by civil society groups and the main opposition.
During the same discussion, Mr. Gyamfi maintained that the investigation by the Office of the Special Prosecutor demonstrated that the Agyapa deal was not advantageous to the state, leading to its suspension.
“If the Special prosecutor was not a court and the President does not agree with the position of the Special Prosecutor, why suspend the bill?” he quizzed.
However, Mr. Atta Akyea argued that it would be more appropriate for the NDC to address the issue in court rather than assuming guilt on the part of individuals.
“If you convert the thinking of NDC to the decision of a court of competent jurisdiction, we know what the law is like.
“The accused persons will have a right to stand, they present the evidence and the rest of it, and it will culminate in a decision. If we don’t go this route and we still believe that in the name of propaganda, let’s turn the laws of Ghana upside down and in the convenience of a one-sided press conference let’s denigrate others, I am afraid that is not democracy, that is propaganda,” he added.
Mr. Akyea emphasized that in criminal matters, the passage of time does not invalidate a criminal case.