The People’s Alliance for Governance and Accountability (PAGA) has petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and Parliament to investigate evidence from a concluded United States criminal prosecution suggesting that payments were made to some Ghanaian Members of Parliament in connection with the AKSA Emergency Power Agreement. PAGA is calling on the OSP to publicly clarify whether it is investigating the Ghanaian aspect of the alleged bribery and disclose the current status of any such investigation. The group has also urged the OSP to respond to its Right to Information (RTI) request and release relevant reports, information and documents shared with US authorities in relation to the case. PAGA further appealed to the Attorney-General, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Financial Intelligence Centre and other relevant state institutions to obtain and preserve the complete evidentiary record from the US proceedings. According to the group, this should include financial records, emails, exhibits, recordings and testimonies that could help establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged payments. “Every Ghanaian beneficiary, facilitator or public official identified in the evidence must be investigated without fear or favour,” PAGA stated. The pressure group also called for individuals named in the US proceedings, including former Power Minister Dr. Kwabena Donkor, to account for their alleged roles and any payments, gifts, travel arrangements or other benefits they may have received. PAGA said where the evidence supports further action, appropriate administrative measures, including interdiction, should be considered while investigations are ongoing. The group stressed the importance of international cooperation, urging the Attorney-General to ensure that evidence obtained from the United States is properly secured and promptly submitted to the relevant Ghanaian investigative authorities. PAGA maintains that a thorough and transparent investigation is necessary to determine whether any Ghanaian public officials benefited improperly from the AKSA power agreement and to protect the integrity of Ghana’s public institutions. Spread the love

Pressure is mounting on the Speaker of Parliament to establish a bipartisan Ad Hoc Committee to investigate the approval and ratification of the AKSA Emergency Power Agreement, amid allegations that Members of Parliament received payments connected to the deal. The People’s Alliance for Governance and Accountability (PAGA) made the demand in a press statement responding to revelations from a concluded United States criminal prosecution in which evidence of payments to Ghanaian MPs was accepted. PAGA wants the committee to determine whether the integrity of Parliament’s ratification process was compromised when the agreement was reviewed and approved in 2015 by the Mines and Energy Committee, on which 18 MPs served. “The Speaker must establish a bipartisan Ad Hoc Committee to investigate the approval and ratification of the AKSA power agreement, including allegations that Members of Parliament received payments or other benefits,” the statement demanded. The group emphasized that the inquiry must cut across party lines. “This must not be a partisan inquiry,” it said, adding that the public deserves to know what information was put before Parliament at the time, who participated in the approval process, and whether any person used his or her public office to influence the approval. PAGA also called for the committee’s proceedings to be televised live, so that Ghanaians can follow the inquiry in full view. Spread the love

  Photo: Copy of the press release issued by former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame. Kofigo News Online will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as more reactions emerge.” Spread the love