Boakye Agyarko Bombshell: Gabby Otchere-Darko Accused Of Renegotiating Ameri Deal During Akufo-Addo First Term
- Former energy minister Boakye Agyarko has claimed NPP stalwart Gabby Otchere-Darko interfered in the controversial Ameri deal
- Agyarko accused Otchere-Darko of renegotiating the Ameri deal on the blind side of the mandated committee
- The former energy minister said Akufo-Addo was aware of Otchere-Darko's alleged interference in the renegotiation
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Boakye Agyarko, a New Patriotic Party flagbearer aspirant, has accused Gabby Otchere-Darko of interfering in the controversial Ameri Power Plant deal during President Akufo-Addo's first term.
When he was minister of energy, Agyarko said Otchere-Darko re-negotiated the Ameri deal without the consent of the responsible committee.
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Agyarko told Kumasi-based Asanteman FM that he confronted the Otchere-Darko but was told President Akufo-Addo was aware of what was happening.
According to the former minister, he was travelling to Houston, USA when Otchere-Darko called him about a document he wanted to be checked.
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When he settled to check the document later on, Agyarko said he realised Otchere-Darko had contracted a law firm to complete negotiations around the Ameri deal and extended the contract to 20 years.
"I asked him what authority he had to do that. I am a minister and Cabinet has given me instructions... his response was what makes me think that my Boss doesn't know about this," Agyarko recounted.
He maintained that the cabinet instructions were all being "violated" by Otchere-Darko.
The instruction Agyarko said he had at the time was to convert the deal from an emergency power agreement to a standard power agreement.
Agyarko further said he complained to the President, who acknowledged the concerns but did not reject the new deal Otchere-Darko had overseen.
Agyarko was notably sacked from his energy ministry portfolio because of the Ameri deal, though he maintained at the time he had done no wrong.
Reaction from minority
The Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said that the comments by the former minister were jaw-dropping.
In a statement, Buah said this was evidence of corruption by President Akufo-Addo.
“Mr. Agyarko all but confirmed in the said interview that this crude arrangement was led by President Akufo-Addo’s nephew with the expressed approval of the President, who was not pleased that the Energy Minister at the time failed to cooperate fully with the scheme to fleece the Ghanaian people."
About the Ameri deal
The Ameri Power Plant was procured during the Mahama administration in 2015 for $510 million to increase the country’s energy capacity.
The agreement was signed for five years but in January 2022, Ghana took full ownership of the 250-megawatt (MW) power production plant from the African and Middle East Resources Investment Group (AMERI).
The power barges were handed over to the Volta River Authority (VRA).
Despite some controversy over alleged corruption, YEN.com.gh reported that the attorney general affirmed the deal as being clean.
The plant has been vital in keeping Ghana from facing significant power challenges.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
