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General News of Wednesday, 26 June 2013

Source: The Herald

ISOFOTON invokes “Antoa Nyamaa” on Kufuor's men

Two Ghanaian officials of Spanish Energy Company, ISOFOTON SA, have taken on members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over the abrogation of their deal leading to US$325,472 judgement debt with one of them invoking curses of the dreaded Ashanti river deity, “Antoa Nyamaa”, to deal mercilessly with the party’s youth wing, Young Patriots.

Both officials distanced ex-Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Betty Mould Iddrisu and her deputy, Barton Oduro and Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, from any fraudulent claims leading to US$325,472 judgement debt payment to ISOFOTON SA.

The two officials, Matthew Addae alias Nana Adjei Bonsra and Anane Agyei Forson, separately dropped names such as ex-President John Kufuor and his daughter Nana Ama Kufuor, Prof. Mike Ocquaye, D.K Osei, Gizelle Yazji, Yaw Osarfo Marfo and Kwadwo Mpiani, accusing them of various acts including some financial irregularities.

Both were emphatic that the Kufuor government illegally abrogating the ISOFOTON SA contract.

Mr. Agyei-Forson in particular, shockingly revealed how the foreign company, ISOFOTON SA, financially supported the 2012 NPP Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, from the US$325,472 judgement debt, through ex-Finance Minister, Yaw Osafo-Marfo.

Mr. Addae who confessed a love affair with Nana Ama Kufuor, suggested ISOFOTON SA deal was abrogated by the NPP government based on lies told to then President John Kufuor by Gizelle Yazji, the self-confessed mistress of Mr. Kufuor, who once boasted negotiating the 'Hotel Kufuor' deal with Mr. Anthony Saud.

He told Asempa FM yesterday that, he has over 500 documents to prove that, indeed, there was a contract between his company and the past government, which Mr. Kufuor caused to be illegally terminated.

Prof. Mike Ocquaye and the NPP officials, Mr. Addae insisted, should have been prosecuted for causing financial loss to the State as the Kufuor government did to Messrs. Tsatsu Tsikata, Dan Abodakpi, Victor Selormey, Ibrahim Adam and Kwame Peprah among others.

He cleared ex-Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Betty Mould Iddrisu, and her deputy, Barton Oduro, of any blame, saying, they did no wrong in the ISOFOTON SA case.

Mr. Addae identified himself as a member of the NPP, but said he has been saddened by the lies from the prominent NPP members, including ex-Chief of Staff and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Kwadwo Mpiani, who opined that he told him (Addae) he (Mr. Kufuor) asked him (Mpiani) to abrogate the ISOFOTON SA contract.

Sounding very peeved, Mr. Addae lamented over how he helped ex-President Kufuor, including refurbishing his dilapidated private residence at Dzorwulu in Accra, but was many times cheated out of deals by both ex-President Kufuor and his eldest daughter, Nana Ama Kufuor, insisting he was ready to face them to prove his claims.

The officially recognized Country Representative of ISOFOTON SA, Anane Agyei Forson, in a fist of anger, rained curses on Young Patriots for maligning his person and the company’s integrity saying, if the accusation that the judgement debt paid to them was done in collusion with any government official as the group claimed, the river deity should strike him dead.

Mr. Agyei-Forson, said this on Okay FM and Asempa FM last Monday, following accusation by the NPP youth wing that the Spanish company had been part of a looting brigade, stealing state resources.

He further invoked that if lawyers at the Attorney-General’s Department and or any other government appointee were compromised or induced to aid his company in being paid the said monies by the state, the highly feared “Antoa Nyamaa” should also struck them dead.

He, however, stressed that if the allegation by the Young Patriots that he greased the palm of state officials, including Deputy Minister of Education, Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, in securing the said judgement debt payment is false, members of the group should not be spared by the dreaded river god.

Mr. Agyei-Forson, who has never hidden his membership of the NPP, insisted he never gave one cedi note or bought water for Mr. Okudjeto-Ablakwa by way of bribe, nor made any financial contribution to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) or tried inducing state officers in the Attorney-General’s department to get the US$325,472 judgement debt.

“…if all the allegations levelled against me…are just to tarnish my image…Antoa should not spare them…The Young Patriots who are bandying this false accusation that I paid some monies to anybody, my Supreme Court is Antoa Nyamaa. If the create, loot and share is part of our case as they are stating, Antoa Nyamaa should kill me; Agyei-Forson.

But if whatever they are saying is not true, then Antoa Nyamaa should strike them dead,” Mr. Agyei-Forson cursed and mentioned Hopeson Adorye, an NPP activist, as one of the persons walking about calling him a “thief” adding, this is painful.

He pointed out that though such invocation should not be publicly made, much more so when he is a learned and well-informed person, he feels hurt by the accusation, adding that: “if even GH¢1.00 was given to any minister in the pursuit of our legitimate money, Antoa should kill me.”

“…if indeed Antoa Nyamaa is a powerful deity in Ashanti which many people fear, then there should be a tragedy for people to know the veracity or falsity of my claims…I am not prepared to sue the Young Patriots in court to clear my name…I don’t have time to waste in court (over their baseless accusations)…Antoa is my court in this case,” the Isofoton country representative said.

A fuming Anane-Agyei was of the strong view that it was time the Young Patriots were put in their rightful place, so they cease their twaddle, adding that: “I’ve been an NPP activist for a long while, so if some people claim to be Young Elephants then I am an Old Elephant of the party”.

He had earlier chastised the erstwhile Kufuor administration for misleading them into signing a contract under the pretext that it would seek Parliamentary approval.

The Supreme Court had in a unanimous decision upheld the application for a refund by former Attorney General, Martin Amidu, adding that the contract was null and void because it lacked Parliamentary approval.

On Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen Programme last Monday, Mr. Agyei-Forson, said, they cannot be punished for government’s inefficiencies.

“They [Kufuor government] have defrauded [us] by signing a contract and refusing to perfect it in Parliament. When it’s good for them it could go, but when we go to court to challenge them, they tell us the contract did not go to Parliament”.

The Isofoton country representative wondered why the opposition NPP has taken a keen interest in the case when, in fact, it was their government that caused the damage and threatened to let the cat out if the NPP and its appendages continue with the witch hunt.

“I am a strong NPP member and I contributed to Akufo-Addo’s campaign team so if anything, the members should rather be supporting me”, he bemoaned.

Meanwhile, a pro-government pressure group, Inside Ghana, has called for the arrest of ex-Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani, ex-Attorney General Joe Ghartey and ex-Deputy Sports Minister O. B. Amoah for criminal investigations and prosecution, over their involvement in the award and abrogation of some international contracts during their tenure in office.

The group’s call comes on the heels of two unanimous Supreme Court rulings against international firms, Waterville Holdings and Isofoton in two separate judgment debt case.