NDC promises to investigate $12 million “Agyapa” scam
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has pledged to investigate the “stinky” $12 million “Agyapa” scam and ensure that all perpetrators are prosecuted. This announcement was made by the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, during a press conference in Accra. The revelation of the $12 million expenditure on the failed “Agyapa” deal came during a Public Accounts Committee hearing where the Chief Executive Officer of MIIF, Edward Nana Yaw Koranteng, disclosed the amount spent. Gyamfi warned that the day of accountability is approaching and that the next NDC/Mahama government will not hesitate to hold those responsible for the scam accountable. He urged the Ghanaian electorate not to allow President Akufo-Addo to install his chosen successor, Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, who he claimed was a puppet meant to cover up the corruption of the current administration. Gyamfi expressed confidence that the people of Ghana would reject corruption, nepotism, and economic mismanagement in the upcoming elections. He called for an end to the misuse of public funds and urged for a government that would prioritize the well-being of the nation. With promises to investigate and bring perpetrators to justice, the NDC is positioning itself as a party dedicated to fighting corruption and ensuring transparency in government operations. Below are details of the Press conference: A MOMENT OF TRUTH PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (NDC), ON THE LATEST REVELATION ABOUT A $12 MILLION DOLLAR EXPENDITURE ON THE BOTCHED “AGYAPA” DEAL. Monday, 19th February, 2024. Good afternoon distinguished friends from the media. On behalf of the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), I would like to thank you for honoring our invitation at such short notice. You are warmly welcome to our headquarters for this all-important press conference. In recent weeks, we have keenly followed ongoing proceedings of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, on the report of the Auditor-General on Public Boards, Corporations and other Statutory Bodies for the period ended 31 December, 2022. The ongoing PAC hearings, have brought to the fore, some very disturbing issues that border on corruption and abuse of public funds by certain state institutions. Of particular interest to us, is the latest revelation about the colossal expenditure made by the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on the botched “Agyapa” Royalties deal. Ladies and gentlemen, during the Committee’s consideration of the report of the AuditorGeneral on the accounts of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) for the period ended 31 December 2022, the Chief Executive Officer of MIIF, Edward Nana Yaw Koranteng disclosed that a humongous amount of USD$12 million was spent on the botched “Agyapa” Royalties deal. When the matter was probed further, the CEO of MIIF stated that, this colossal amount was spent on the setting up of the stinky “Agyapa” Royalties vehicle, the payment of consultancy fees, the rental of office space and the processes leading to the Initial Public Offering towards the listing of “Agyapa” Royalties on the London Stock Exchange. The Ghanaian public was taken aback by these disclosures, which add to the never-ending list of corruption scandals that continue to plague the nation under the watch of President AkufoAddo and his corrupt protégé, Alhaji Bawumia. For us in the National Democratic Congress, this disclosure did not come as a surprise. We are on record to have stated that the “Agyapa” Royalties deal was yet another phoney scheme cooked by the corrupt and nepotistic Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government, for the sole purpose of appropriating the mineral royalties of the country for themselves in perpetuity. Ghanaians would recall, that during the intense public debate on the infamous “Agyapa” deal, the NDC took a principled position to stand with the people of Ghana. We kicked against the whole “Agyapa” arrangement on grounds that, the country’s mineral royalties had been grossly undervalued under the opaque deal and that same was going to deny future governments and generations mineral revenues that are critical to the development of the country. Consequently, the NDC Minority Caucus in Parliament staged a walkout when the “Agyapa” deal was presented to Parliament for approval. Sadly but unsurprisingly, the corrupt ruling New Patriotic Party used their numbers to approve the sleazy deal, in spite of the huge public outcry over the lack of value for money that the deal presented. The Flag-bearer of the NDC, and God willing the next President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, vowed to cancel the fraudulent Agyapa Royalties deal if he won the 2020 General Elections, a position that has not changed. Several Civil Society Organisations, including IMANI, ISODEC, the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), IDEG, ASEPA, ACEP, among others, kicked against this rip-off called Agyapa, based on sound arguments and alternative proposals. As you are all aware, all the constructive suggestions of these groups were ignored by the corrupt AkufoAddo/Bawumia NPP government who were hellbent on stealing our mineral royalties. Subsequently, the Office of Special Prosecutor established in its Corruption Risk Assessment Report that, the “Agyapa” deal was fraught with procurement rigging, statutory breaches, potential money laundering and inimical to the interest of the nation. Eventually, the chilling details of the OSP’s report coupled with sustained pressure from the NDC and civil society, compelled the President to shamefully beat a retreat and refer the deal he had already granted Executive approval for, back to Parliament for reconsideration, pending the the 2020 General Election. My brothers and sisters, throughout our struggle against the “Agyapa” heist, we never knew and never imagined, that the ruling NPP government had spent a whopping $12 million on the deal. With each passing day, and as the clock ticks to 7th December, 2024 for Ghanaians to kick this irredeemably corrupt government out of office, the countless skeletons in their closet of corruption keep unfolding before our very eyes. We in the NDC are completely appalled by the decision of the corrupt Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government, to spend this colossal amount of money on