Debates over the controversial energy contract popularly known as AMERI Deal between the government of Ghana and the Africa and Middle East Resources Investment Group Llc (AMERI Energy), is at the doorstep of the Parliament once again.
This was after the Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa and former Deputy Minister of Energy, Kobina Tahir Hammond, filed an urgent motion for the allegedly bloated contract to be revoked.
“That this House rescinds its decision to approve the Build, Own, Operate and Transfer Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and Africa and Middle East Resources Investment Group Llc (AMERI) Energy for the installation of 10 GE TM2,500 plus aero derivative gas turbines, operate, maintain, transfer and provision of support services that the House took on March 20, 2015 for reasons of gross misrepresentations.”
The motion which has been filed featured in Tuesday’s [July 25] Order Paper but is expected to be thrown to the floor for debate today, Wednesday, July 26.
Speaking to Daily Guide on the issue, Mr. Hammond stated that he has ample evidences with which to prove that there were “gross misrepresentations” in the AMERI deal, hence the need for it to be rescinded. He however said he will not share the facts with the media ahead of the movement of his motion.
The Ameri Power Deal is a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) agreement signed between Ghana and UAE-based energy company, AMERI in the heat of the 2015 crippling energy crisis under the John Mahama administration.
The deal which stood at a whopping cost of $510m specifically involves the installation of 10 General Electric TM 2500 aero-derivative gas turbines at the Aboadze Power enclave, near Takoradi in the Western Region. Click here to get full details of the Ameri energy contract.
Proposals for the contract was however greeted with much heated argument from the then minority New Patriotic Party MPs who believed that the price was bloated. But as the ‘ayes’ (majority NDC) had it, the minority reluctantly gave their go ahead, and the agreement was signed.
But since then, speculations has been rife that the Ameri deal was overpriced and fraught with corruption, with heated controversies arising every now and then among stakeholders over the issue.
The NPP governmment on assuming power this year, promised to look into the issue, with a 17-member committee headed by Philip Addison set up to investigate the Ameri deal. Their investigation is meant to provide the government with facts on the alleged irregularities associated with the deal, as well as clear evidences with which to push for a review or withdrawal of the contract.
However, from the current proceedings, it appears the Ameri deal has been “criminalized”, with all participants in the agreement now regarded as suspects.
The former Minister for Power, Kwabena Donkor, had his home subjected to a thorough search by some personnel from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Police on Monday, 24th July.
The raid which reportedly came barely a day after he met with NPP’s KT Hammond, saw his laptops and pen drives seized by police officers. The police men who had a search warrant from the court, clearly stated they were seeking for documents on the controversial AMERI power deal.
Recall that Kwabena Donkor was the one who signed the AMERI agreement on behalf of the then John Mahama government. Speaking to Citi News same day, Dr. Donkor lamented not having a prior information on his alleged indictment in the Ameri issue.
“I read for the first time on the warrant that I was the suspect for causing financial loss. Nobody has cautioned me, nobody has tried me. I’ve never been told anywhere that I’ve caused financial loss…,” he lamented.
According to Donkor, the officers even wanted to take away his phones but he resisted and only provided his serial numbers.
A former Technical Advisor on the power deal, Francis Dzata also had his house searched by the same officers over the same matter. Both Donkor and Dzata are being investigated on suspicion of causing financial loss to the state through the AMERI deal. Both has however, declared themselves innocent of the allegations.
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