Agyapa deal: Just withdraw it – Vitus Azeem advises govt

Anti-corruption campaigner, Vitus Azeem is advising the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to withdraw in entirety the controversial Agyapa deal instead of sending it back to parliament for a review.

President Akufo-Addo after receiving a corruption risk assessment report from the Office of the Special Prosecutor on the Agyapa deal, has directed the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta to resubmit the deal to parliament for a review.

Mr Martin Amidu, in his 67-page corruption and anti-corruption risk assessment report of the gold royalty agreement submitted to the president, described the deal as susceptible to “nepotism, cronyism and favouritism.”

Additionally, he said the deal lacked probity and accountability.

Reacting to the report, Mr Azeem who is a former Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative believes withdrawing the deal from parliament will be the best line of action for government.

“I have said that the president should withdraw the whole deal from parliament if that will agree with the standing orders of parliament instead of sending it back. Because it is the same parliament that endorsed the deal in the first place. So, when you send it back what do you expect? he questioned in an interview with GhanaWeb.

According Mr Azeem a review of the deal in a parliament where the ruling government holds a majority will be an act in futility.

He emphasized that the detection of high potential of corruption in the deal by the Special Prosecutor requires that the deal even though allowed to be reviewed, should be abrogated by the president.

“Once he (the special prosecutor) has identified the potential of high corruption, I think that the whole deal should be abrogated,” he said.