Agyapa corruption risk assessment: Proceed to court & prosecute the culprits - Baako to Amidu

Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Kweku Baako Jnr has charged the Special Prosecutor (SP), Martin Amidu to advance his assessment report on the Agyapa Royalties deal to the law court.

The Special Prosecutor, in a press statement dated November 2, 2020, released a corruption risk assessment report on the Agyapa Royalties deal and forwarded it to the Office of the President as well as the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta.

Mr. Amidu raised issues with the controversial deal arguing that the appointment of advisors for the agreement didn't meet the “fundamentals of probity, transparency and accountability.”

He also accused the actors who took part in approving the deal saying they breached some laws with impunity.

“All the parties to the Mandate Agreement are deemed to have known the law but ignored it with impunity in signing and implementing the Mandate Agreement which is null and void ab initio as violating the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) and the Public Procurement Authority Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) as amended. This conduct which appears to have been in furtherance of the suspected bid-rigging, in the assessment of this Office severely lowered the risk of corruption, and rendered them a low-risk enterprise in the Agyapa Royalties Transactions process and their approval.

“It is with these new lenses that the analysis of the risk of corruption, and anti-corruption assessments of the legality of the engagement of the other services providers and underwriters on the recommendations of the Transaction Advisors acting as the Ministry of Finance’s procurement entity tender committee contrary to Part VI of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) as amended, and Sections 7 and 25 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) afore-quoted were made.”

The SP further stated that the selection of Imara of South Africa, with its local partner, Databank, as transactional advisor “discloses a reasonable suspicion of bid-rigging and corruption activity”.

He also accused Databank of being a “decoy” to Imara and also touched on the Finance Minister's connection with Databank.

“The Mandate Agreement does not say how and when the decoy, Databank of Ghana, was to be paid by Imara for a contract purportedly won and performed jointly”, Mr. Amidu said.

Addressing the issue on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Kweku Baako asked Mr. Amidu to go beyond his assessment report by taking legal action against the culprits.

"I would love if the Special Prosecutor went one step beyond this corruption [matter] assessment and seeks to give it judicial backing by going to court. Because [see] some of the things that he has said, even if it's not investigation, they're serious. That should not be left unpunished if they're indeed crimes...You cannot deal with others differently...This matter he should go beyond just this mere assessment, test his findings or he calls them observations and conclusions in the court of law," he said.

He also believed Martin Amidu's corruption risk assessment report will put to rest speculations that his office is manipulated by President Nana Akufo-Addo.

"It shows that that man is not being manipulated, controlled by the President as alleged or perceived. That he is what he is and he is doing his work. I am happy with that."

Mr. Baako also lauded the President and Finance Minister over their response to the Special Prosecutor.

"In principle, I think as a nation, what has happened is a reflection that we're making some progress however challenging the path we have chosen is," he said.