Communications Officer the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Savannah Region, Maleek Basintale, has criticized President Nana Akufo-Addo for the series of corruption scandals that have rocked his government.
In a Facebook post, the vociferous NDC communicator said that Akufo-Addo and his cousins: Gabby Asare Otchere Darko and Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Ata must be added to the 2021 GES Syllabus as “examples of corruption” in Social Studies or Citizenship Education.
Basintale’s suggestion comes after the then Ghana’s Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, revealed about two weeks ago in his corruption risk assessment on the controversial Agyapa Royalties Agreement that involvement of Mr Ofori-Ata’s Data Bank Financial Services Limited in the Agreement smelled of “bid-rigging” in a procurement process that “was manipulated by the Ministry of Finance.”
Interestingly, one of the law firms, African Legal Associates, recruited to offer legal advice in the deal is owned by Gabby Asare-Otchere Darko which raised corruption and nepotism concerns.
Asare-Otchere Darko had told The Herald he got the deal from the UK law firm, White and Case but has since changed his story to getting it from Imara Corporate Finance.
Another law firm; Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah, also got aspects of the legal job but the bulk of the work went to Gabby’s law firm which he runs with his wife Nana Adjoa Hackman formerly a legal officer with the BNI, the Herald reports.
The Herald’s further investigation’s show that Imara, a financial advisory company, has for years had partnership with Ken Ofori-Atta’s Data Bank. Imara is based in South Africa.
Despite elements at the Presidency blocking the damning content of the risk assessment on the transaction which started in the name of Asaase Royalties Limited, Martin Amidu published the report and resigned two weeks after, citing presidential interference in his work which is contrary to the law.
The events leading to Amidu’s resignation has raised eye brows while many have admitted losing confidence in the Akufo-Addo government to fight corruption head on and punish government appointees.
Basintale in an interview with Power News mentioned that since the President’s cousins and other family members are alleged to have fronted corrupt deals in the government, he will personally lead a crusade to have their names and acts of corruption recorded in GES books when the NDC wins the election.
Meanwhile, the NDC has demanded that President Akufo-Addo retrieves for the state, the billions of cedis his government had illegally paid under the shady Agyapa deal to Databank.
At a press briefing on 10th November, 2020, the NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, said the funds paid to Databank, owned by his cousin and Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta; African Legal Associates, which is owned by another Gabby Asare Otchere -Darko; and their foreign compradors amounted to conflict of interest and corruption.
Source: Ghana|Myxyzonline.com
