PAGA Petitions Parliament to Probe AKSA Bribery Allegations Against Ghanaian MPs
- A overnance advocacy group has petitioned Parliament to launch a formal inquiry into bribery allegations linked to the 2015 AKSA deal
- Evidence admitted in a US criminal prosecution indicated that payments were made to Ghanaian MPs to facilitate ratification of the deal
- PAGA identified 18 MPs who served on the Mines and Energy Committee during the period the AKSA agreement was scrutinised and approved
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The People's Alliance for Governance and Accountability (PAGA) has formally petitioned Ghana's Parliament to investigate bribery allegations connected to the AKSA Emergency Power Agreement, citing evidence that emerged from a criminal prosecution in the United States.
The advocacy group released a press statement calling on parliamentary leadership to establish a dedicated committee or formal mechanism to probe which members of the legislature may have received illicit payments in connection with the 2015 power deal.
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MPs named in AKSA inquiry demand
PAGA identified 18 members of parliament who served on the Mines and Energy Committee during the Third Session of the Sixth Parliament in 2015, the period when the AKSA Emergency Power Agreement was examined, approved, and ratified.
According to a reported sighted on Graphic Online, the group pointed directly to findings from American judicial proceedings as the basis for its petition, arguing that the Ghanaian legislature cannot ignore what a foreign court has formally accepted into evidence.
"There is now evidence accepted in a United States criminal prosecution that money was paid to some Members of Ghana's Parliament in connection with a transaction that Parliament was constitutionally required to scrutinize and approve. Our legislative body must identify who received it," PAGA stated.
Parliament urged to investigate its own members
Beyond identifying those who may have benefited, PAGA argued that the institution itself must demonstrate a willingness to hold its members accountable to the same standard applied to other public officials.
"Parliament must demonstrate that it can investigate allegations concerning its own members with the same seriousness with which it scrutinizes the conduct of other public officials," the group said.
The advocacy organisation stressed that its petition is not an attempt to pre-empt the judicial process, but rather a demand for transparency, due process, and accountability within the legislature.
"We are asking for an investigation into the matter and further prosecution. We are asking for transparency. We are asking for accountability. Ghana deserves nothing less," the statement read.
PAGA called on the relevant parliamentary committees and institutions to be summoned as part of any formal inquiry, insisting that the process must be conducted on a non-partisan basis to preserve public confidence in both the legislature and Ghana's broader governance structures.
Kwabena Donkor reacts to Berko bribery links
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported earlier that former Power Minister Dr Kwabena Donkor had denied any involvement in bribery allegations linked to Asante Berko.
Dr Donkor's lawyers confirmed that he had served as Power Minister during negotiations with ASKA Energy over Ghana's dumsor crisis but said he had never met Berko at any point.
The lawyers warned that any publications they considered damaging to Dr Donkor's reputation would result in immediate legal proceedings.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
