Stop making it seem as though you won Ghana any plaudit in Eni/Vitol dispute — Franklin Cudjoe blasts Godfred Dame
The Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe has called out Ghana's Attorney General for “misleading” the public on the outcome of the arbitration case between Eni Ghana Exploration, Production Limited Vitol Upstream Ghana Limited and the public.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, July 9, the policy advisor said Godfred Yeboah Dame is wrongly portraying the ruling as a victory when Ghana in fact lost.
"Do not let the Attorney General lie to you. He LOST AND WASTED MILLIONS ON LAWYERS," his post reads in part.
Though the tribunal rejected the $915 million monetary claim made against Ghana, the IMANI Africa boss noted that "in the end the whole case rests on what the Tribunal declared."
The declaration as quoted by the tribunal reads in part, "the unitisation was contrary to the applicable regulations and thereby breached Article 26(2) of the Petroleum Agreement."
Mr. Cudjoe argued that government's original demands in 2020 for Eni and Vitol to relinquish 55% of the oilfield were "ridiculous" and "not economically sound."
He noted, "There is no deal going forward..and he[the Attorney General] lost us money by hiring expensive lawyers for an issue he should have advised an amicable settlement."
Meanwhile, the Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice is insisting it emerged victorious.
In a statement dated July 8, the Attorney General averred that "within the circumstances, [the ruling] represents a major victory for the Republic of Ghana."