Abrogate Agyapa deal – Azeem

An anti-corruption campaigner Mr Vitus Azeem has called for a total cancellation of the Agyapa Royalties agreement.

In the view of the former Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the deal is bad and should not be considered at all following the Special Prosecutor’s report on the transaction.

The Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu on Monday, November 2 said that he has finished with his assessment of the transaction and has accordingly submitted his report to the president.

“The analysis of the risk of corruption and anti-corruption assessment was completed and signed by the Special Prosecutor on 15th October 2020.

“The Special Prosecutor in a letter with reference number OSP/SCR/20/12/20 dated 16th October 2020 conveyed the conclusions and observations of the anti-corruption assessment to H. E. the President and the Hon. Minister of Finance as a matter of courtesy before informing the public.”

“Two weeks is more than too long for this Office to continue withholding the announcement of the completion of its sixty-four (64) page report to the public.

“It is important that this Office has the freedom to discharge its anti-corruption mandate and keep the public informed. I have, therefore, decided to bring the facts of the conclusion of the anti-corruption assessment of the Agyapa Royalties Transactions by this Office to the attention of the public and to avoid the continued speculations on this matter,” he said.

Mr Amidu also noted in his report that former President John Mahama is the one described as the Government Official One in the Airbus bribery scandal.

The president has asked the Finance Minister to return the deal to Parliament for a further engagement on it.

Speaking on the Key Points porgramme on TV3 Saturday November 7, Mr Azeem told show host Abena Tabi that “Well I think it should be abrogated There is too much wrong in this transaction.”

“The special prosecutor himself has said that this is not an investigation, it is a corruption risk assessment. If the risk assessment is rising enough, requiring prosecution then he will probably need to carry out some investigations into these corruption-related areas.

“He will now need to go into it and investigate it to find out whether those things that you have identified are actually taking place or not and if they are actually taking place t-do they deserve or do they warrant prosecution.

“So, yes this is one step, the next step is that he should go ahead and investigate these acts have actually taken place.”