Agyapa Deal: Kamal-Deen Defends Akufo-Addo’s Order

A Deputy Director of Communications for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kamal-Deen Abdulai believes Ghanaians should be proud to have Akufo-Addo as their President at this time.

According to him, President Akufo-Addo’s order to the Finance Minister Mr Ken Ofori Atta to send the controversial Agyapa Royalties agreement back to Parliament for further scrutiny must be applauded.

He explains that the action by the President demonstrates his respect for state institutions.

“I am happy for Ghana because when I read the response of President Akufo-Addo to the report submitted by the Special Prosecutor and the second paragraph of same where the president seeks to tell us (Ghanaians) and remind us that indeed we have come of age because institutions are allowed and seen to be working. So I am happy and I want Ghanaians to view this with the spectacle of happiness, and we must make sure that our democracy is strengthened.”

“President Akufo-Addo clearly demonstrated his respect for state institutions by ordering the Finance Minister to take the deal back to Parliament for further scrutinization.”

Mr. Kamal-Deen Abdulai made these comments when he appeared on the news review segment of Citi TV's Breakfast Daily show on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

Background

The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu raised issues with the Agyapa Royalties Deal.

In his corruption risk assessment of the controversial deal, Mr. Amidu argued among other things that consultations over the agreement were not comprehensive and innovative enough.

He further disclosed that the selection and appointment of advisors for the agreement did not meet the “fundamentals of probity, transparency, and accountability.”

According to him, the actors flouted several laws with impunity prior to the approval of the agreement.

This led to President Akufo-Addo ordering Mr. Ofori Atta to take the deal back to Parliament for further scrutiny.

“The President has accordingly, instructed the Minister that, in the interest of transparency and accountability to the Ghanaian people, the Agreements supporting the transaction that were submitted to Parliament, and approved by the House, should be resubmitted to Parliament for the approval process to start all over again.”

“This, he believes, will help address the concerns raised, principally, by the Minority, about having been given very limited time to subject properly the various Agreements to proper scrutiny. The transaction documents to be resubmitted are the Relationship Agreement, the Assignment Agreement, the Allocation Agreement, and the Investment Agreement”, a statement from the Jubilee House indicated.

---Citinewsroom