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What NPP said about AMERI deal in opposition
Following the controversy on the deal, Nana Addo has relieved Boakye Agyarko from office.
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The NPP in 2015 has alleged that former President John Mahama and his brother, Ibrahim Mahama, have a hand in the murky $510 million dollar AMERI Power deal believed to have been inflated by government.
The party cited ten reasons why there must be an "immediate, open, public, bipartisan and parliamentary enquiry into the $593 million agreement."
The NDC government on the other hand has explained the deal cost $510 million.
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Critical questions have been raised about the deal after two journalists working for VG; a Norwegian Newspaper blew the lid on some details of the contract between Ghana’s Power Minister and Ameri Power.
The party said "Following on from the damning revelations from the two Norwegian investigative journalists on John Mahama's NDC government’s alleged fraudulent deal on 10 power turbines from Ameri Group of Dubai, and its rather weak, contradictory and porous response this morning, it is now evident that an urgent, immediate open public inquiry by Parliament, through a bipartisan committee, into details of the deal is urgently required.
"These 10 GE turbines, according to industry experts, go for a total basic cost of some $220 million. This, naturally, has raised questions over the justification for the additional whopping $360 million."
In 2017, the NPP effectively blocked an attempt by the government to enter into a $138 million agreement with AMERI Group for the operation of T3 Power Plant in Takoradi belonging to the Volta River Authority (VRA).
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Ranking member on Mines and Energy and MP for Adansi Asokwa, K.T. Hammond was instrumental in blocking the deal which he described as 'send off loot' by the NDC government and was to saddle Ghanaians with an unnecessary financial burden.
The government had placed the agreement in parliament but the MP for Adansi Asokwa said the deal stinks and that parliament must not approve it.
But the Attorney General Gloria Akuffo has warned the Energy Ministry to dismiss plans of terminating the AMERI deal because it will end up in huge damages against the Government of Ghana.
In responding to two letters from the Energy Minister requesting for legal advice to suspend monthly payment to AMERI, the attorney general kicked against the move because "the deal is valid" and satisfies Ghana's procurement processes.
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She noted the government of Ghana "entered into a very unfavourable agreement with AMERI," adding the only way out is for the government to "renegotiate the deal with AMERI with a view to achieving a more favourable term."
Despite the protest against the re-negotiation of the AMERI deal by the government, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has approved the new deal pending parliamentary approval.
Following the protest by Ghanaians and civil society groups, the government has made a U-turn with the renegotiated deal.
Reports indicate that Nana Addo had been misled to believe that Africa and Middle East Resources Investment (AMERI) Group and the government of Ghana had assessed the deal thoroughly for him to approve the deal pending parliamentary approval.
But he [Nana Addo] has rescinded his decision to endorse the new energy deal with AMERI.
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But the Minority said more heads must roll at the seat of government over the AMERI deal.
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