• GNPC intends to buy stakes in Aker Energy at $1.6billion
• The deal has been met with stiff opposition from over 15 CSOs
• Onasis Kobby suspects a grand scheme of corruption in the deal
Onasis Kobby, the Deputy Ashanti Regional Youth Organizer of the National Democratic Congress has indicated his readiness to drag Aker Energy to Norwegian anti-corruption agencies over its intended deal with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.
Speaking on Kasapa FM, Onasis advanced that GNPC’s decision to purchase stakes in Aker Energy is a ‘convoluted corruption scheme’ which is intended to satisfy the needs of certain persons at the expense of the country.
He posited that it does not make financial sense for GNPC to invest $1.6 billion in a company whose net worth is $210million.
He said that Aker Energy aware of the dire situation is seeking to leverage Ghana’s oil resources to float shares and make a profit at the expense of the nation’s resources.
“It’s a convoluted corruption scheme because you can’t budget $1.6 billion to go and buy a company. Nobody is against GNPC being an integrator but the value they are quoting does not make sense. It’s a pure grand scheme of corruption and I’m going to petition Norwegian anti-corruption agencies to look into this.
“The GNPC boss is not telling how much has been invested in the field. The estimated cost of the entire field operation is $4.4billion and that money is not coming from Aker Energy alone. The net value does not support the potential benefit they claim Aker will get from this deal.
He cautioned Aker Energy that it will not be left off the hook regarding this deal and that he will use every available platform to ensure that Ghanaians are not fleeced in the deal.
“Norway is a country that has benefited from the oil and gas industry and so we rely on the Norwegian Model to escape the resources’ curse and become a blessing. One thing that Norway has done is that, their penal code which is the law that put corruption to check is tough and so the whole of Europe, when it comes to the issue of oil and gas, their law is supreme. What Aker Energy is doing; they should know that they will never get escort-free because it has happened before and we will make sure it happens again”, he noted.
The $1.6 billion deal has been met with stiff opposition from some 15 civil society organizations who say Ghana is been short-changed.
They posit that although the contract to give GNPC more oil stakes is in order, the value at which the deal is being reached does not show economic shrewdness on the part of the country.