AMERI case: Kwabena Donkor demands open hearing

Former Power minister Dr. Kwabena Donkor has asked the Energy Committee of Parliament to allow media access as he prepares to offer his testimony on the controversial Ameri deal.

The Pru East MP who was in charge when the erstwhile Mahama administration entered into the contract is demanding the same treatment as was extended to his accuser KT Hammond by the committee.

Mr Hammond has alleged AMERI Energy made over 150 million dollars as profit for no work done. He told Starr News Ameri Energy deceived parliament to obtain approval.

“Ameri Energy made a whopping killing of 150million at the expense of the poor taxpayers of this country, this was not what the committee meant to present to Parliament for approval and indeed this is not what I as a ranking member of the committee of mines of energy intended to support when the motion was moved in Parliament”.

Mr. Donkor whose request has been granted by the committee has denied any wrongdoing in the deal.

The DEAL

The NDC government signed the BOOT Agreement on February 10, 2015 as an emergency power arrangement to help reduce the power supply deficit at the time, and the project was expected to be delivered within 90 days after the fulfilment of conditions precedent, but it was never done within the stipulated period.

Then President Mahama’s brother’s company – Engineers and Planners – was given part of the contract at a highly ridiculous cost.

“Even though the plant is operational, several omissions and concessions were made in the BOOT Agreement which requires re-negotiation, amendments and restructuring of the Agreement. The Agreement simply is grossly unfair and is not as it presently stands, in the best interest of Ghana,” the Addison Committee had said.

“The Committee has enumerated technical, financial and legal observations and recommendations in the report that are aimed at rectifying the anomalies in the BOOT Agreement for the effective and efficient implementation of the project,” it added.

It said that the recommendations were also to serve “as a guide for future negotiations of power projects,” and advised that the government “should take all necessary measures to avoid power supply deficits which result in the execution of emergency power agreements.”