Sammy Gyamfi, National Communications Officer, NDC
Sammy Gyamfi says the only reason Ghana was slapped with the US$170 judgement debt is that it wrongfully terminated the Ghana Power Generation Company’s (GPGC) agreement.
According to him, the Government of Ghana knew that terminating the Emergency Power Agreement (EPA) would lead to wilfully causing financial loss to the state, yet they proceeded to do it.
Speaking on Citi TV monitored by GhanaWeb, he said, “the termination of the EPA was wilfully reckless and totally unacceptable. The Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government knew that they had no lawful justification to terminate the agreement.
“They knew that the termination was wrong, they knew that terminating the agreement the way they did could occasion a judgement debt and financial loss to the state, yet they proceeded with same and that’s why we find ourselves in this avoidable financial loss situation.”
He said the former Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko’s reason for the termination being excess capacity among others is a “cock and bull story…
“…Is a post facto, face giving gimmick that should be treated with the contempt it deserves.”
Sammy Gyamfi explained, a copy of the letter of termination signed by Boakye Agyarko on February 13, 2018, does not make any reference to excess power or capacity charges.
He said, he gave three reasons for the termination namely;
“Failure of GPGC to achieve financial closure, failure of GPGC to secure a licence from the Energy Commission in accordance with section 11 of the Energy Commission Act to allow them to engage in the business of selling electricity in Ghana and the third reason is the failure of the company to secure siting and construction permit for the project at Kpong.”
Sammy Gyamfi had earlier accused the Attorney General, Godfred Dame, of being incompetent and sloppy over the judgement debt awarded against Ghana and called for his resignation.
He said, “the NDC is appalled and disgusted by the incompetent sloppiness and recklessness that was displayed by the NPP-Akufo-Addo government particularly, the AG’s department in the conduct of the deal”.
The Attorney General had stated earlier that “The state clearly was saved from incalculable financial losses by the decision taken by the NPP. The report shows that if all the agreements had been allowed to run, we were going to suffer $17.6 billion over the period. That legal decision taken in the context of the global solution of saving the nation an amount of $17 billion over 12 years, for me, was better.”
But the National Communications Officers disagree.
He said, “Clearly, the current AG, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has been incompetent and sloppy as far as this matter is concerned. His desperate attempt to extricate himself from blame and shift blame to his former boss, Madam Gloria Akuffo and past government officials who left office some five years ago is shameful and unfortunate, to say the least.
“In any serious jurisdiction, the AG Godred Yeboah Dame and the solicitor general who is paid by Ghanaians to defend the interest of the country in all matters and who is actually involved in this case would have been held accountable or resign by now.”