A new government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will investigate all allegations of corruption by appointees of President Akufo-Addo, NDC presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama has said.
Mr Mahama mentioned cases such as the PDS scandal and the Agyapa mining royalty deal as some of the many cases that his government will investigate immediately upon assumption of office.
Regarding the botched PDS deal, the NDC Presidential candidate said Ghanaians deserve a right to know what happened because assets of state-owned Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) was handed over to a privately-owned Power Distribution Services (PDS), following which they collected huge sums of money, running into millions of dollars, which have not been accounted for.
“This President is not willing to fight corruption. Depending on who you are in his administration, you can do whatever you want and get away with it because he will personally clear you and say that nothing untoward has happened,” Mr Mahama said.
Parliament two weeks ago approved five agreements to allow the country to derive maximum value from its mineral resources and monetize its mineral income accruing to the country, in a sustainable and responsible manner.
This is in line with the Minerals Income Investment Fund Act, 2018 (Act 978). The approval will enable the country to use a special purpose vehicle, Agyapa Royalties Limited, to secure about one billion dollars to finance large infrastructural projects.
In line with that, Agyapa, which will operate as an independent private sector entity, will be able to raise funds from the capital market, both locally and internationally, as an alternative to the conventional debt capital market transactions.
However, speaking in an exclusive interview with TV XYZ at Nkwanta in the Oti Region on Sunday, he said President Akufo-Addo and his government have “lost the fight against corruption”, especially as many corruption cases have not been properly investigated.
Describing the Agyapa mining deal as “shady”, he wondered why the NPP government had mortgaged Ghana’s gold royalties to a private company in which the State has 51 percent stake and some faceless individuals, 49 percent.
Mr Mahama said a new NDC government will not respect the Agyapa deal which is shrouded in secrecy, adding the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) would have played the same role as Agyapa if government wanted to be transparent.
“Obviously this government has lost the fight against corruption. Our people are tired of corruption, it demotivates them and they want that leader who is in office, who will not only investigate former appointees but also investigate people who engage in corruption in his era,” he said.
According to Mr Mahama, there is certain impunity by President Akufo -Addo and his family and friends who think they can do anything and get away with it.
