Is Hammond scared that FOIB will lead to loss of $6 billion plus oil cash?

By: Prof Lungu

"...Before that full-throated apology, Lawyer Mr. K. T. "Hybrid" Hammond jabbed that Dr. Kunbuor's statement was..."'...the most disgraceful statement that has ever been made by any member in Parliament; it is insulting, it is foolish and should never be allowed...I ask for the statement to be withdrawn immediately… Mr. Speaker, I ask for the stupid and useless and foolish statement to be withdrawn immediately… it is palpable nonsense...'...But, as Ananse will report on the original Web, it was Mr. K. T. 'Hybrid' Hammond who in the end was schooled about etiquette, responsibility, and reflective talk...", ( K. T. "Hybrid" Hammond, as shadowed by Prof Lungu)-rev.

We now know this: It is a fact that even our lawyer, the Adansi Asokwa NPP Member of Parliament, Mr. Kobina Tahir "Hybrid" Hammond, bright as he is, cannot show Ghanaians where in 1990-era P/NDC law a "Ghana Hybrid System" for collection of oil revenues owned to Ghana is codified as law.

Further, as we said in Part 1 of this series, it would not be a surprise to many Ghanaians and Ghana supporters that Mr. "Hybrid" Hammond's tolerance for corruption, and his intolerance of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, seem unsurpassed by his own marks.

Lawyer K. T. "Hybrid" Hammond's tolerance for corruption seems unsurpassed by his own record:

You see, when we initially Googled Mr. H. T. Hammond of Ghana, the first and most noticeable item we found was an apology by Mr. Hammond to members of Ghana's Parliament on 7th December, 2013.

As reported:

"...Mr. Hammond went ballistic when he rained insults on Majority Leader Dr. Ben Kunbuor who addressed the issue of corruption among politicians in the country...as the disease of the political elite...saying it had been confirmed by the 'drill ship and Woyome placards' on the floor of Parliament... However, K.T. Hammond was offended by the comparison with Woyome, saying that there was no corruption in the drill ship case..."

Subsequently, Mr. Hammond, in the halls of the Ghana Parliament and on radio, used those "...platform(s) to express...unqualified apology to the good people of Ghana...showing remorse about his conduct...(to the extent)...his outburst was...not of the “best behaviour”.

Imagine, before that apology, Mr. Hammond jabbed that Dr. Kunbuor's statement was "... 'the most disgraceful statement that has ever been made by any member in (Parliament); it is insulting, it is foolish and should never be allowed...I ask for the statement to be withdrawn immediately…Mr. Speaker, I ask for the stupid and useless and foolish statement to be withdrawn immediately…it is palpable nonsense..”

But, it was Mr. K. T. "Hybrid" Hammond who in the end was schooled about etiquette, responsibility, reflective pronouncements. And we have not even to speak of constitutionality and Ghana-centeredness.

Kudos to Dr. Ben Kunbuor for responsible Ghana-centered actions!

But, that was all before we read this, the Justice Appau White Paper On Judgment Debts this week. We now know that in fact Mr. K.T. Hybrid Hammond, during 2001-2006, while the NPP was in power and Nana Akufo Addo Danquah was the Attorney-General of Ghana, caused a loss of $5.5 million, being financial loss to the Corporation (GNPC) and Ghana..."(being)....payment of US$19.5m instead of US$14 million..." as agreed earlier by Ghana.

To the point:

"... The Acting Managing Director of the GNPC, Dr. Ofori Quaah, was not given room to operate and was coerced into signing a Power of Attorney prepared at the Attorney-General’s Office to empower Hon. K. T. Hammond to sell the GNPC’s marine asset, the Drillship, ‘Discoverer 511’... a going, profit-making concern...(and)...use the proceeds to pay off the debt owed by GNPC..."

According to the Justice Appau White Paper, to date, $3.5 million of those funds have still not been properly accounted for by the "...Minister of Finance and officials of the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department...(and)...the Ghana High Commission in London at the time in question...between 2001 and 2006...".

To be continued...

NOTE:

1. Our thanks to Andy K for making information and data available to us at www.GHanaHero.com.

SOURCES: 1. Ghanaweb. I’m sorry – KT Hammond begs, 7 December, 2013, (www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/I-m-sorry-KT-Hammond-begs-294396).

3. CitiFMOnline. Don’t sack any Ghanaian technical staff, Petroleum Ministry warns Tullow, 18th March, 2015, (www.citifmonline.com/2015/03/18/dont-sack-any-ghanaian-technical-staff-petroleum-ministry-warns-tullow/#sthash.9ZM0JBg7.dpuf).