The Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo, believes the Philip Addison-led committee investigating the AMERI deal did not compromise itself by allowing the company it was investigating to fund its trip to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, Madam Akuffo said embarking on the AMERI-paid trip to Dubai was “a sensible position to take,” given the circumstances.
According to the Attorney General, the meetings forming part of the investigation into the deal were to take place in Accra.
But one of the representatives of AMERI indicated his or her unavailability, thus it became necessary that the meeting should be moved to Dubai.
The Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, however, put his foot down and said any possible trip by the 17-member committee was not going to be done on Ghana’s purse.
She, however, stressed that, she only spoke with knowledge of the reasoning for the moving of the meeting from Accra to Dubai.
The Attorney General recounted that “the position taken by the Minister was that, we are not going to bear the cost. We are not going to throw good money after bad. We have agreed that we hold the meeting here, we are trying to cut back on our losses and we would not be incurring additional debt to relocate to that place.”
“So the other party [Ameri] said we are prepared to bear the cost. As to whether they were feted or given per diem, I do not know. I do not have anything on my desk. I do not know about these extra things being spoken about.”
Nothing nefarious at play
The Minority in Parliament has ridden on the detail of the AMERI-funded trip to Dubai to allege malfeasance on the part of the Philip Addison-led committee,by saying that it will be petitioning the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
But Madam Akuffo said, in her view, there was no ill-intent on the part of the committee or AMERI.
“My understanding was that, it was a matter of engaging with a view of coming to some amicable resolution of the observations the committee had made in studying documents. It is not as though you have a policeman trying to catch a robber then the robber suddenly feeds him. I do not see it as that,” she explained.
Philip Addison led a committee to investigate the AMERI deal
Reason for the committee
The 17-member committee was constituted on grounds of a $150 million anomaly in the AMERI deal, as well other financial, technical and legal issues, and recommended that AMERI be made to re-negotiate the deal or be rejected by Government on grounds of fraud.
Ghana was made to pay $150 million extra in commission to Africa & Middle East Resources Investment (AMERI) Group LLC for the construction of a power plant.
The committee maintains that AMERI in its agreement with government dated February 10th, 2015, charged Ghana significantly higher than what it was charged by the Turkish registered company, PPR, which financed and executed the project.
The Turkish firm pegged the total cost of the project, which is to span over a 5-year period at a maximum of 360 million dollars.
However, the Build Operate Own Transfer (BOOT) agreement signed between government and AMERI was pegged at a minimum of 510 million dollars.
Source: citifmonline.com
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Is this really coming from Ghana's AG......it's a shame
Oh Really? NPP Quaseafuo Party. NPP Jimifuo Kuo
Your naive responds means you're not a sound minded business person like most ndcs' . That's why you couldn't manage the economy well. Respectively , there's no sense your common sense. No sensible business will buy the ndc, Akoto and "@miloman" common sense.
common sense prescribes you do that to pooh pooh your work. As the guy said beneath what is the outrageous cost that addison could not afford than to engage in this. Afie nyansa
Akoto , I dnt see your reasons why you dnt get Madam AG. If "you"' are investigating "your employee" for fraud and he or she decides not to come to the venue for the supposed investigation and ask you to meet him or her in a different venue "far distance" . Will you pay for your T&T , Hotel bills and even per diem or you will ask the employee to pay those bill??. Let's run Ghana as we run our own businesses and it shall be well with us. Do you think the NDC members who signed the Ameri deal would have done that if it were their parents or own business? Get back to me Akoto.
AS FOR THIS CASE NOTHING NEFARIOUS HAPPENED,BUT MAHAMA'S CAR GIFT WHICH WAS EXPLAINED AND VISIBLY SEEN AMONG THE FLEET OF VEHICLES AT PRESIDENCY CONSTITUTED CONFLICT OF INTEREST. POSTERITY WILL JUDGE ALL US WITH THIS TYPE OF HYPOCRISY. GHANAIANS ARE PATIENTLY WATCHING YOU PEOPLE.
I was disappointed in the Addison committee at first but with this explanations I would rather applaud the committee. Thanks for the timely explanation Madam AG
Common Sense is missing, there is no way you should have accepted the offer from a party to an alleged crime. Hello
Aunti Gloria, Thanks for the explanation. I respect you, I salute you!! Keep up the good work!!!
irresponsible opposition party. please lick your wounds and watch nipa party papa doing the work. create loot and share party.