General News of Wednesday, 4 November 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Agyapa deal: Sack Ofori-Atta immediately – Adongo tells Akufo-Addo

Isaac Adongo is MP for Bolgatanga Central Isaac Adongo is MP for Bolgatanga Central

A member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, Isaac Adongo, has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, for his role in the Agyapa Royalties controversy.

A corruption risk assessment into the agreement by Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, found numerous breaches of law and due procedure, including the process adopted in the selection of Transaction Advisors for the deal.

Mr Amidu’s corruption risk assessment, for instance, makes claims of a possible deliberate attempt to use Data Bank, a company co-founded by Mr Ofori-Atta, as a decoy for the Transaction Advisors, Imara.

Although Nana Akufo-Addo has directed the Minister to take the deal back to Parliament and resolve issues raised in Mr Amidu’s report, Mr Adongo says the President must punish the Minister.

“He [Akufo-Addo] has to sack the Minister immediately. That is the most important thing. He shouldn’t be playing around,” Mr Adongo, who is NDC MP for Bolgatanga Central, said during a discussion on PM Express on Joy News.

The flagbearer of the NDC, John Dramani Mahama, also made a similar call on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

Mr Mahama has said there must be a complete withdrawal of the Agyapa Royalties deal and Mr Ofori-Atta must also be dismissed for sponsoring the controversial deal in Parliament.

According to John Mahama, the damning report by the Special Prosecutor does not bode well for the Finance Minister and dents the reputation of Akufo-Addo’s government.