General News of Saturday, 4 August 2018

Source: classfmonline.com

We're sticking to 5-year BOOT deal – AMERI to government

Boakye Agyarko, Minister of Energy Boakye Agyarko, Minister of Energy

Dubai-based AMERI Energy has said in a letter dated 31 July 2018 that it is committed to the five-year Build, Own, Operate & Transfer (BOOT) deal it signed with the previous Ghanaian administration and denied knowledge of a renegotiated deal with the current government of Ghana.

This comes on the back of an alleged renegotiated deal under which AMERI would be bought out per the Novation and Amendment Agreement with the government of Ghana, and handed over to Mytilineos International Trading Company for 15 years.

Per that deal, Mytilineos offered to pay AMERI off with $52,160,560, while the government of Ghana would have topped it up with $39 million.

The deal was, however, cancelled by President Nana Akufo-Addo, even though he had earlier approved it through an Executive Order, while it pended parliamentary nod.

In a letter sighted by ClassFMonline.com, AMERI, however, said: “As you are fully aware, we have never been involved with your ministry in any kind of negotiations or discussions related to this Novation and Amendment agreement.

“Moreover, also never had insight of any commercial discussion between you and the new party, therefore, could not have verified that the above permissions were not obtained at the time of presentation before parliament.

“In view of the ongoing circumstance, the management of AMERI energy has taken notice of this and would like to inform you that we shall not be deemed associated with the Novation and Amendment agreement and will only remain committed to our original BOOT agreement signed on 20th of February 2015.

“Upon the completion of our five-year term, your ministry can freely decide to handover the project to any third party at a commercial arrangement you may deem right.”

AMERI also implored the government of Ghana to pay a defaulted amount of $82, 660, 560.00, warning that failure to defray the debt could spark legal action on their side.