His comment comes in the wake of calls for the special committee, set up six months ago to investigate the deal, to present its report to Parliament.

[contextly_sidebar id=”q2EmoRHO16pJlVfoUt0rv5zlFgSAj3Q4″]Mr. Mutawakilu, claimed that the  Committee has delayed in presenting its report to Parliament because it has not found any substantial reason to abrogate the contract.

“What has happened to the final report I do not know. I believe that they have not found anything to abrogate the contract and they are finding it difficult to bring that report on the floor of Parliament… If the AMERI deal is abrogated we might face a significant judgement debt because the company has been discharging its duties.”

Mr. Mutawakilu wondered on Eyewitness News why it had taken the Committee so long to present its report when the draft report was prepared about four months ago.

“When the draft report is written, the final report should be ready ..I do not know why they are failing to put it before Parliament.”

‘AMERI deal delicate’

In a rebuttal to Mr. Mutakailu’s claims, the Chairman of the Committee, Emmanuel Kwasi Gyamfi, indicated that the delays in presenting its report to the House are justified, given how delicate the deal is.

“The committee report is not ready. This is not just a simple issue… We cannot just present the report without doing due diligence,” he explained.

Mr. Gyamfi, who is also the Chairman of Mines and Energy Committee in Parliament, further indicated that although they had already interrogated the key players in the deal, those persons might have to be brought back to provide clarification on some issues.

“We are still thinking of bringing some of the key players back to meet the committee because as I said there were issues by the key players that we have to consider. Let me assure you and our cherished listeners that the referral that was made in relation to the motion by K.T Hammond, has been deliberated on several times by the committee. What is left is the committee’s final report which will be submitted soon.”

Background

The John Mahama-led administration in 2015 agreed to rent 300MW of emergency power from AMERI at the peak of the country’s power crisis.

As part of the deal, AMERI was to build the power plants and operate them for 5 years before transferring it to the government.

The cost of the deal was $510m and received parliamentary approval on 20th March, 2015.

The approval of the deal was met with stiff opposition but eventually received endorsement by the legislative body.

It later emerged that the government had been shortchanged by AMERI as they presented an overpriced budget.

The reports said the government had paid an excess of $150m but state officials of the Mahama government disagreed.

The New Patriotic Party government which assumed office said it would look into the matter.

The Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko later constituted a committee led by lawyer Philip Addison to investigate the matter that that ended in controversy as it emerged that the committee had seemingly entangled itself in a conflict of interest position by accepting sponsorship from AMERI to travel and stay in Dubai for some days as it investigates them [AMERI].

The Adansi Asokwa Member of Parliament, K. T Hammond subsequently filed an urgent motion calling for a cancellation of the deal.

–

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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This he says, is evident in the submissions of the Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, which he says sought to push for a review of the deal through parliament rather a rescission.

[contextly_sidebar id=”9Q08daP049fKtmSgVs7O43XG1Zo84WVu”]The Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament is currently considering a motion for rescission of the AMERI deal filed by KT Hammond.

Speaking to Citi News’ Duke Mensah Opoku, the Damongo MP said the responses from the Minister vindicates the position of the Minority, that the motion for rescission was a lost cause.

“We feel vindicated. The executive arm of government has abandoned K.T Hammond and his motion. Instead of recession, they are looking for a review. They are dancing straight to what they said.”

The Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko on Tuesday declared his support for a  review of the terms of the controversial AMERI power deal.

Testifying before the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, Boakye Agyarko said immediately after the ratification of the deal by Parliament in August 2015, some already agreed terms were changed which should have gone back to Parliament.

He thus supported any move by Parliament to review the decision it took two years ago.

Making his case before Parliament, Mr. Agyarko said: “the key highlights if I may determine or if it is within my province to determine, will be the choices that we made. I think whether we buy outright, whether we lease or whether we go into a build operate and transfer (BOT), of interest also is the question of pricing, and the quality of the financial and economic analysis that is weighed in this matter of such gravity. The nation’s money of over 500 million dollars is being put in an asset. One would have wished that it will attract the highest quality of investigation in terms of its financial and economic analysis. The synopsis also tracks a number of flip-flops.”

“In my mind, if Parliament approves or ratifies a document, and there are major changes to the document, It stands to reason that it goes back to Parliament for a review, otherwise Parliament will approve a document only to find out that changes, amendments have been made without their consent . That is something that must lend itself to investigation” he argued.

Withdraw AMERI deal – K.T Hammond

Although the Energy Minister backs calls for the deal to be reviewed,  the Adansi Asokwa Member of Parliament, K. T Hammond, who was the ranking member of the Energy Committee of Parliament when the deal was signed, filed an urgent motion in Parliament to have the deal rescinded.

According to him, this was because of fresh information he had received concerning the agreement which showed that the deal was fraudulent. K.T Hammond revealed on Eyewitness News in August that, Ghana stands to lose that $150 million to AMERI in the deal.

Cancelling AMERI deal will be disservice to Ghana – Donkor

The former Minister of Power , Kwabena Donkor, has however warned that investments into Ghana’s economy will be greatly affected if the AMERI power deal is canceled.

“The impact on future investment, if approvals by parliament can be rescinded, when a new government comes in with a new parliament because they have the numbers they rescind it, what will be the impact on Ghana’s investment climate?” he asked.

“Already, for developing countries, there is a political risk of investment, and therefore we pay a premium for investment because of perceived political risk. If we aggravate this by rescinding decisions properly approved, because one government is in power, and has numbers to push it through, it will be short-term and it will not be in the national interest, and in my opinion, it will be misleading, I think a rescission will be a disservice to Ghana,” he added.

The deal received parliamentary approval on 20th March, 2015, but subsequent details suggested that, the government may have been short-changed by AMERI as they presented an overpriced budget.

–

By: Marian Ansah & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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ACEP is of the view that the contract was overpriced and must be investigated without partisan considerations.

[contextly_sidebar id=”2onKbcTooqc6ATMPvKJtJgFSh4lzNKVh”]The Minority in Parliament, last week went ahead with a planned boycott of deliberations on the urgent motion for a reversal of the AMERI Power Agreement by the Mines and Energy Committee.

It argued that, the motion was not debated on the floor of Parliament before being forwarded to the Mines and Energy committee.

But the Executive Director for ACEP, Benjamin Boakye, said the minority’s boycott will not promote an effective probe of the agreement.

“The Committee is still sitting and the majority side has a quorum to sit and they are doing so, but I will think that the minority even with their own challenges with the way the probe is happening, could still have been there to point out their disagreement so that all of that becomes a public record.”

“If this new government wants to do something similar, how will the minority be able to critique it? I think they should all be part of the process and allow KT Hammond to have his right and activate the processes of parliament. If you have challenges with that, you have to point it out, rather than walk out to allow only the majority to have their way in the manner that it is turning out,” he said.

K.T. Hammond, who was the ranking member of the Energy Committee of Parliament in 2015, when the deal was approved, filed an urgent motion seeking to reverse the deal due to his conviction that the deal was not value for money.

The John Mahama administration in 2015 agreed to rent the 300MW emergency power from AMERI at the peak of the country’s power crisis.

As part of the agreement, AMERI was to build the power plants and operate them for five years before transferring it to the government.

The deal received parliamentary approval on 20th March, 2015. But subsequent details suggested that, the government may have been short-changed by AMERI as they presented an overpriced budget.

Parliament is reconsidering the deal to possibly reverse it if evidence of the state being shortchanged is found.

Cancelling AMERI deal will be disservice to Ghana – Donkor

Meanwhile, former Minister for Power under the John Mahama government, Kwabena Donkor, has warned that reversing the deal will lead to a dip in foreign investments into the country.

Go to court over AMERI deal – Jinapor dares gov’t

A former deputy Power Minister, John Jinapor, has also called on the Member of Parliament (MP) of Adansi-Asokwa, K.T Hammond to seek redress in court if he wants to challenge the validity of the AMERI deal.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Stop frustrating review of AMERI deal – ACEP to Minority appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He said this in a Citi News interview following a meeting with the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament on Friday, about the role he played in ratifying the AMERI deal, which was passed by parliament in March 2015.

[contextly_sidebar id=”8qYDcibBrrf5Hu5gQF59rIVovZtgSASO”]“The impact on future investment, if approvals by parliament can be rescinded, when a new government comes in with a new parliament because they have the numbers they rescind it, what will be the impact on Ghana’s investment climate?” he asked.

“Already, for developing countries, there is a political risk of investment, and therefore we pay a premium for investment because of perceived political risk. If we aggravate this by rescinding decisions properly approved, because one government is in power, and has numbers to push it through, it will be short-term and it will not be in the national interest, and in my opinion, it will be misleading, I think a rescission will be a disservice to Ghana,” he added.

The AMERI power deal, a Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer (BOOT) agreement, was signed between the Africa and Middle East Resources Investment Group, and the Government of Ghana on the 10^th of February 2105, during the country’s severe energy crisis.

The contract was awarded by former President John Mahama to the UAE-based energy company.

As part of the agreement, the company was to provide Ghana with 300MW of energy to help improve the country’s energy situation.

After years of operation, the Adansi Asokwa Member of Parliament, K. T Hammond, who was the ranking member of the Energy Committee of Parliament when the deal with signed, filed an urgent motion in Parliament to have the deal rescinded.

According to him, this was because of fresh information he had received concerning the agreement which showed that the deal was fraudulent.

Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee is currently deliberating the urgent motion for a possible reversal of the deal.

We gave Ghana best deal; but gov’t can scrutinize – AMERI

Meanwhile, the Africa & Middle East Resources Investment Group LLC (AMERI), has stated that, its 2015 agreement with Ghana for the provision of a Power Plant in the heat of the country’s power crisis, offered the “best value for money” despite government findings that the $510 million deal was bloated by $150 million.

AMERI, in a statement following an appearance, before the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament on Friday, however, said the government had the right to review the deal if it felt it was being ripped off.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Cancelling AMERI deal will be disservice to Ghana – Donkor appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

On Wednesday, Adansi Asokwa MP, KT Hammond, appeared before the committee with a submission that sought to substantiate his motion for a rescission of the 510 million dollar deal ratified by Parliament in March 2015.

[contextly_sidebar id=”FsVoSfcX41Naa3K15yLBcqf9z9nRlXFH”]Dr. Kwabena Donkor was the Minister for Power when the deal was brokered and ratified by Parliament.

It is unclear if the Parliamentary Committee meeting would be a public hearing.

CID storms Kwabena Donkor’s home over AMERI deal

In July, Mr. Donkor, had his home subjected to a thorough search by some personnel from the Criminal Investigations Department of the Police over the deal.

The personnel were on a mission to retrieve evidence that suggests the former minister had caused financial loss to the state as a result of his involvement in the deal.

Background

The John Mahama administration in 2015, agreed to rent the 300MW of emergency power from AMERI at the peak of the country’s power crisis.

The cost of the deal was $510m, and received parliamentary approval on 20th March, 2015. However, it emerged that the country had been shortchanged by the company, acccording to the NPP government.

The reports said the government had paid in excess of $150m, but state officials of the Mahama government disagreed.

The New Patriotic Party government which assumed office said it would look into the matter.

The Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, later constituted a committee led by lawyer Philip Addison to investigate the matter that ended in controversy, as it emerged that the committee had seemingly entangled itself in a possible conflict of interest position by accepting sponsorship from AMERI to travel and stay in Dubai for some days as it investigated them [AMERI].

–

By: Marian Ansah & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Kwabena Donkor to face Parliament over Ameri deal appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The motion has since been tabled for debate by Members of Parliament.

[contextly_sidebar id=”kbmSuxQQopKVoU8QAmwLAMPZRtBhygcG”]K.T Hammond, who was the ranking member of the Energy Committee of Parliament in 2015 when the deal was approved, filed an urgent motion seeking the reversal of the decision last week.

He suggested that the decision to have it withdrawn was because of his conviction that the deal was suspicious based on some fresh information available to him.

It would be recalled that the K. T Hammond was the NPP MP who supported the motion when it was moved on the floor years ago.

The John Mahama-led administration in 2015 agreed to rent the 300MW of emergency power from AMERI at the peak of the country’s power crisis.

As part of the deal, AMERI was to build the power plants and operate them for 5 years before transferring it to the government.

The cost of the deal was $510m and received parliamentary approval on 20th March, 2015.

The approval of the deal was met with several oppositions but eventually received endorsement by the legislative body.

It later emerged that the government had been shortchanged by AMERI as they presented an overpriced budget.

The reports said the government had paid an excess of $150m but state officials of the Mahama government disagreed.

The New Patriotic Party government which assumed office said it would look into the matter.

The Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko later constituted a committee led by lawyer Philip Addison to investigate the matter that that ended in controversy as it emerged that the committee had seemingly entangled itself in a conflict of interest  by accepting sponsorship from AMERI to travel and stay in Dubai during the investigation.

–

By: Duke Mensah Opoku & Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Parliament to debate KT Hammond’s ‘AMERI motion’ appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The personnel were on a mission to retrieve evidence that suggests the former minister had caused financial loss to the state as a result of his involvement in the controversial AMERI deal.

[contextly_sidebar id=”MXD5QKJHXsASTlQvabGaxndubvPwJsBi”]Kwabena Donkor, who confirmed the incident to Citi News, said the personnel arrived at his home few minutes after 6:00am today [Monday].

“It was few minutes after 6…. There were 4 of them led by an Assistant Superintended of Police. They showed me a warrant obtained from a circuit court and said I was a suspect for having caused financial loss to the state and so they should come and search my premises, retrieve my laptop and other electronic devices.”

“The officers were very professional and they were here for about 2 hours… I said I have nothing to hide so they should go ahead. They searched the whole house. They took away my laptop and some pen drives,” Kwabena Donkor said.

He expressed shock that he had not been notified prior to the Monday morning search that he was a suspect in any criminal case.

“I read for the first time on the warrant that I was the suspect for causing financial loss. Nobody has cautioned me, nobody has tried me. I’ve never been told anywhere that I’ve caused financial loss. The officers said they were looking for documentations on AMERI so they were very specific,” he said.

The John Mahama administration in 2015, agreed to rent the 300MW of emergency power from AMERI at the peak of the country’s power crisis. The decision was taken when Mr. Donkor was Power Minister.

The cost of the deal was $510m, and received parliamentary approval on 20th March, 2015. However, it emerged that the country had been shortchanged by the company, acccording to the NPP government.

The reports said the government had paid in excess of $150m, but state officials of the Mahama government disagreed.

The New Patriotic Party government which assumed office said it would look into the matter.

The Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, later constituted a committee led by lawyer Philip Addison to investigate the matter that ended in controversy, as it emerged that the committee had seemingly entangled itself in a possible conflict of interest position by accepting sponsorship from AMERI to travel and stay in Dubai for some days as it investigated them [AMERI].

Investigations are still ongoing.

–

By: Duke Mensah Opoku & Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post CID storms Kwabena Donkor’s home for ‘AMERI deal evidence’ appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The motion, according to Citi News sources has been filed by the Adansi Asokwa Member of Parliament, K. T Hammond, who was the ranking member of the Energy Committee at the time the deal was brought before the house.

[contextly_sidebar id=”aKv4rObgWDRlDyOUWP3j3Epz85b9xy6a”]It would be recalled that the K. T Hammond was the NPP MP who supported the motion when it was moved on the floor.

Excerpts of the motion sighted by Citi News indicates the legislator’s conviction that the deal was suspicious based on some fresh information available to him.

The motion has been approved by the leadership of the House but is yet to be programmed.

The John Mahama-led administration in 2015 agreed to rent the 300MW of emergency power from AMERI at the peak of the country’s power crisis.

As part of the deal, AMERI was to build the power plants and operate them for 5 years before transferring it to the government.

The cost of the deal was $510m and received parliamentary approval on 20th March, 2015.

The approval of the deal was met with several oppositions but eventually received endorsement by the legislative body.

It later emerged that the government had been shortchanged by AMERI as they presented an overpriced budget.

The reports said the government had paid an excess of $150m but state officials of the Mahama government disagreed.

The New Patriotic Party government which assumed office said it would look into the matter.

The Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko later constituted a committee led by lawyer Philip Addison to investigate the matter that that ended in controversy as it emerged that the committee had seemingly entangled itself in a conflict of interest position by accepting sponsorship from AMERI to travel and stay in Dubai for some days as it investigates them [AMERI].

–

By: Umaru Sanda Amadu & Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post KT Hammond wants gov’t to withdraw AMERI deal appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

“I was approached by AMERI. I am not the first person they approached and I am also not going to be the last person they approach in their attempt to solve this their very bad deal they have on their hands,” Mr Agyarko said on The Big Issue on Saturday.

[contextly_sidebar id=”x01yH5YhgVLPGgfQYcTgiJHSqqKBTFIv”]The MP was mentioned as part of those who left Ghana to the United Arab Emirates on account of the AMERI Group as part of activities by a special committee set up by government to investigate the company.

According to the Minority in Parliament, the committee, led by Philip Addison, entangled itself in a conflict of interest position having been sponsored for their air travel, hotel and per diem by the company it was investigating.

Although Mr. Addison in a previous interview with Citi News denied they were influenced by AMERI’s gesture, members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) insist the government’s claims of working to review the power deal had been jeopardized.

But Emmanuel Agyarko said that “let us look into how Ghanaians we sat down for a man that is on Interpol list, because of that he cannot go out of Dubai, why is it that a 29-year-old has come and taken all our money and everyone is talking about it.”

“This matter is not about Emmanuel Agyarko. The guys got in touch with me, they thought that somehow they can talk to me to get the ears of my brother. I found that what they were talking about is not something that would solve the problem,” he further noted.

Why was AMERI investigated?

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government after assuming office said it suspected that AMERI had defrauded the country by some $150 million in the power deal the company had with government under the erstwhile John Mahama administration.

Philip Addison, the leader of the committee set up by Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko in look into the matter said in an interview that the company had shortchanged Ghana.

“First of all, there is $150 million that is the contract price, then they subcontracted it to PPR for $360 million. So that is 150 million out of the $510 million. In addition to that, in the agreement, there are variable charges which had been put in the agreement as $16.6 million. I questioned this both here in Ghana and at Dubai. At both places the answer I got was that it was a mistake. The reason why it struck me was that, how come a variable cost could have a fixed sum. I’m advised that the plant even at maximum production should be around $8 million,” he said.

Why was AMERI engaged?

The erstwhile government engaged AMERI at the height of the country’s power crises to provide 250 Megawatts of power.

The company served contractor that sourced Turkish registered company PPR, to finance and execute the project.

–
By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post AMERI approached me over power deal – Agyarko appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, although the incident appears to be a clear case of conflict of interest, the context in which it occurred makes it quite peculiar and complicated.

[contextly_sidebar id=”FLJpfzPIhDVJOksT4pFiJXMqMcBS4nol”]A 17-member committee chaired by Philip Addison, was constituted by the government to investigate a power deal signed by the erstwhile government with AMERI.

The committee said it discovered the former government paid $150 million more than they were expected to pay.

The Minority in Parliament has claimed that, the committee’s report was biased, and was compromised by AMERI’s sponsorship of the team’s trip to Dubai to meet AMERI’s executives.

The Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo, in an interview with Citi News, said the Philip Addison-led committee did not compromise itself by allowing AMERI to fund its trip to Dubai, but according to Justice Emile Short, the situation is quite complex, and requires some tact before conclusions can be made.

“We have to look at the special circumstances of this case. The provision of government especially with regards to this AMERI deal and the fact that the company was the one that insisted that the committee should travel abroad…So these are the parameters which any institution investigating the matter would have to take into consideration. It is not your normal situation,” he said.

“Ordinarily speaking, when a committee is going to investigate a matter, it is true that the person or institution that is going to be investigated should not be seen to be giving benefits  or providing facilities for the committee investigating the matter, but in the peculiar situation of this case, there is a twist,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Minority has given indications that it will petition the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice to investigate the matter, which it has described as “embarrassing, unethical and shameful.”

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

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