Opinion: Amidu’s resignation exposes Akufo-Addo

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Startling revelations disclosed by Martin Amidu in his separate resignation letters to the President and the general public, announcing his exit from the position of Special Prosecutor, have exposed serious cover-ups that confirm the ‘Clearing Agent’ tag that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has earned for himself.

Martin Amidu served notice of his readiness to die in defending the truth following threats on his life, disclosed in paragraph three of his three-page loaded letter to the President directly accusing him of complicity.

“Your reaction to my letter with reference number OSP/SCR/10/12/20 dated 16th October 2020, which was delivered to you on 19th October 2020 that conveyed my observations and conclusions on the “Risk of Corruption and Anti-Corruption Risk Analysis” on the Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions, convinces me beyond every reasonable doubt that you had labored under the mistaken belief that I would hold the Office of the Special Prosecutor and act as your poodle”

Martin Amidu, also claims that he had not been paid his emoluments since he assumed office, and that his appointment letter was only handed to him on 5th February 2020, almost two years after his appointment and said….quote ….“ The reaction I received for daring to produce the Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions anti-corruption report convinces me beyond any reasonable doubt that I was not intended to exercise any independence as the Special Prosecutor towards the prevention, investigation, prosecution, and recovery of assets of corruption. My position as the Special Prosecutor has consequently become clearly untenable”

He stated emphatically in paragraph seven (7) that … “More importantly, Your Excellency was acting as a Judge in your own case usurping my functions to take any independent follow-ups on the anti-corruption assessment report, when you knew from my 13-page letter of 16th October 2020 conveying the conclusions and observations of the anti-corruption assessment report to you that negative anti-corruption assessments had been made against the conduct of your (Nana Akufo-Addo’s) office in the procedure adopted in granting the Executive Approval on 24th March 2020, and your assent of the Minerals Income Investment Amendment Act, 2020 on August 27, 2020 intended to retroactively impact on the Parliamentary approval of the transactions.

The Agyapa Deal risk assessment report, made public on November 2, 2020 exposes direct links between President Akufo-Addo and his two close cousins, Ken Ofori-Atta who incidentally is the Finance Minister, through his firm, Data Bank and Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, who acted as frontline transaction advisors to the questionable SPV, through his law firm, Africa Legal Services, with the intent of giving away over 75% of Ghana’s mineral royalties to the now exposed opaque private company Agyapa Royalties registered in a notorious tax haven on the British Virgin Islands.

Ken Ofori-Atta, according to the report, tried to hide his conflict of interest by using a dummy or decoy company called Imara Corporate Finance Pty, a company based in South Africa.

President Akufo-Addo, who many Ghanaians were made to believe as incorruptible is on record to have rubbished several corruption-related scandals involving his office and appointees.

Many of these corruption scandals which the President, now tagged Clearing Agent has rubbished just as he tried in the Agyapa Royalties deal, include the PDS Scandal, the dubious $178 million GVG Kelni/NCA deal; BOST – Ghc15m Contaminated fuel scandal in which documents sighted revealed that BOST agreed and sold 5 million liters of contaminated fuel to a non-existing company Movenpina Energy and ZUPOIL; the questionable payment by BOST to Springfield;  $100,000 Cash4Seat saga;  Dubious $2.5m Assase Ghana Post GPS deal, and what is now referred to as the $2.25 billion KenBond scandal in which the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Attah sole-sourced a dubious $2.25 billion loan that attracted the angst of the public.

The prospectus notice for the KenBond transaction was restricted and 95% of the bond ended up being acquired by a US company Franklin Templeton whose Director doubles as the Board Chairman of a company which Ken Ofori, his wife Angela Ofori-Atta, and friend Keli Gadzekpo hold majority shares; the Kroll and Associates scandal involving Finance Minister, Senior Minister Yaw Osarfo-Marfo and how the Executive Secretary to the President who is also a relative to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo eventually forced the Auditor General, Daniel Domelevo to proceed on forced-leave till the year ends.

Other scandals include the $1.37 billion AMERI Novation and Amendment deal which compelled Nana Akufo-Addo to sacrifice then Energy Minister, Emmanuel Boakye-Agyarko; dubious $4m mobile interoperability deal; failure to prosecute former GFA boss, Kwesi Nyantakyi in the infamous Anas Aremeyaw Anas investigative piece in which Kwesi Nyantakyi who is a known ally of President Akufo-Addo is seen in a video recording indicating that he had Akufo-Addo and his NPP government in his pocket and that he (Kwesi Nyantakyi) is able win (secure) all manner of government contracts in Ghana, as $5 million is enough to buy the President.

The controversial collapse of 7 indigenous banks; crass nepotism which has hitherto never been seen in Ghana’s political governance with the appointment of over 51 cousins, nephews, cronies to key/sensitive Ministerial positions including his Executive Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Roads and Highways, Works and Housing as well as senior executive positions in key state financial institutions list SSNIT, BOST, Bank of Ghana, Gaming Commission, GNPC, ECG, Ghana Investment Promotion Center and the Electoral Commission among others.

In the wake of the whistle blowing by resigned Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, the Coalition of CSOs against corruption have raised concerns about the gloomy days ahead with few days to the December 7 elections especially at a time Auditor General, Daniel Domelevo has been pushed out of office.

Government has issued a statement acknowledging receipt of Martin Amidu’s resignation letter but says it will provide an appropriate response in due course. Government nonetheless remained silent on calls for the dismissal of the Finance Minister and others indicted in the Agyapa Royalties deal. Other names mentioned include Kofi Osarfo-Marfo, the son of Senior Minister, Yaw Osarfo-Marfo.

Investigations conducted by online news portal, WhatsApp News also revealed that the Registrar-General’s Department indicates that the supposed subsidiary of Agyapa Royalties Ghana Limited called ARG Royalties Limited has its first CEO and director named as Yaw Baah. Incidentally, Mr. Yaw Baah, a lawyer who lived in the UK, is a Senior Research Fellow at the Danquah Institute (DI) founded by Gabby Asare-Otchere Darko. He also worked closely in the research department of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP)’s during the 2016 election campaign.

Again, checks reveal that another director of ARG Royalties is called Felicia Ashley. She was the Vice President and Head of Human Capital and Administration at Ken Ofori-Atta’s Databank. Ms Ashley was later moved to the Finance Ministry headed by Mr. Ofori-Atta to be the Head of General Administration of the Ministry of Finance.

WhatsApp News portal concludes….” This closely-knit triangle linked to the Presidency and Finance Minister Ofori-Atta has reinforced the suspicion that the Akufo-Addo administration systematically plotted the grandiose Agyapa loot.”

By Daniel Acheampong

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