‘Agyapa deal must be withdrawn completely’ – Mahama

Former President, John Dramani Mahama, has called for the complete withdrawal of the Agyapa Royalties deal.

According to the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, the report from Mr. Martin Amidu, the Special Prosecutor, on the Agyapa Royalties deal has justified the minority’s decision to boycott discussion on the deal when it was introduced in Parliament.

Adding his voice to the report from the Special Prosecutor, in an interview on the Morning Starr on Starr 103.5, Mr. Mahama called for the absolute withdrawal of the deal.

"I think the Agyapa deal must be withdrawn completely...The minority said the Agyapa deal was bad and that it must be canceled and so it's not surprising that when the OSP went into it, they found out the same thing we have said," John Dramani Mahama told the show host Francis Abban.

The Special Prosecutor in his risk assessment of the deal has raised several issues with how the deal was passed.

Martin Amidu concluded that “the Finance Ministry failed to secure parliamentary approval before selecting the Transaction Advisors.”

“The analysis of the risk of corruption, and anti-corruption assessment in the bid selection process led to the assessment that the involvement of Imara Corporate Finance Limited (Pty) of South Africa in the Mandate Agreement as approved by the Public Procurement Authority made the Mandate Agreement an international business or economic transaction needing approval from Parliament under Article 181(5) which was never sought or given.

“There is reasonable suspicion of bid-rigging, and corruption activity including the potential for illicit financial flows and money laundering in the relationship between the Transaction Advisors and Databank of Ghana.”

Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has instructed the Finance Ministry to send the deal back to Parliament following Amidu’s revelations.