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20.10.2017 Headlines

AMERI Deal: Former Energy Minister Donkor Dragged To Parliament

By CitiFMonline
AMERI Deal: Former Energy Minister Donkor Dragged To Parliament
20.10.2017 LISTEN

Citi News sources indicate that Former Power Minister, Dr. Kwabena Donkor will later today [Friday] appear before the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament in relation to the controversial AMERI power deal.

On Wednesday, Adansi Asokwa MP, KT Hammond appeared before the committee with a submission that sought to substantiate his motion for recision of the 510 million dollar deal ratified by Parliament in March 2015.

Dr Kwabena Donkor was the Minister for Power when the deal was brokered and ratified by Parliament.

It is unclear if the Parliamentary Committee meeting would be a public hearing.

CID storms Kwabena Donkor’s home over AMERI deal

In July, Mr. Donkor, had his home subjected to a thorough search by some personnel from the Criminal Investigations Department of the Police over the deal.

The personnel were on a mission to retrieve evidence that suggests the former minister had caused financial loss to the state as a result of his involvement in the deal.

Background
The John Mahama administration in 2015, agreed to rent the 300MW of emergency power f rom AMERI at the peak of the country's power crisis. The decision was taken when Mr. Donkor was Power Minister.

The cost of the deal was $510m, and received parliamentary approval on 20th March, 2015. However, it emerged that the country had been shortchanged by the company, acccording to the NPP government.

The reports said the government had paid in excess of $150m, but state officials of the Mahama government disagreed.

The New Patriotic Party government which assumed office said it would look into the matter.

The Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, later constituted a committee led by lawyer Philip Addison to investigate the matter that ended in controversy, as it emerged that the committee had seemingly entangled itself in a possible conflict of interest position by accepting sponsorship from AMERI to travel and stay in Dubai for some days as it investigated them [AMERI].


By: Marian Ansah & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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