The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) says it has no confidence in the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, to independently investigate or prosecute persons implicated in the latest bribery allegations surrounding the AKSA Energy power project.
The party argues that the investigation must be conducted in a manner that inspires public confidence, particularly because some of the persons who could come under scrutiny are allegedly politically connected to the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking at a press briefing at the NPP headquarters in Accra on Thursday, August 13, the party’s Manhyia South MP, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, cited several cases in which the Attorney General has discontinued or abandoned prosecutions involving persons linked to previous or current administrations.
“The NPP wishes to place on record its lack of confidence in the current Attorney General as far as the handling of this matter is concerned,” he said.
He accused Dr Ayine of being associated with the discontinuation or non-prosecution of cases since assuming office in January 2025.
Mr Awuah cited the SSNIT scandal, Saglemi Housing Project case, Cocobod-related cases and the Unibank case among matters in which the Attorney General has entered a nolle prosequi.
He said the decisions had raised questions about accountability, transparency and the recovery of public funds.
The NPP MP also singled out the Unibank case, which he said formed part of the wider banking sector clean-up and involved significant public expenditure.
He criticised the Attorney General over what he described as a failure to disclose key information to Parliament and to make public details of a proposed plea bargain involving the accused persons.
“Against this background, we do not believe that the Attorney General can command the confidence of the Ghanaian public to independently investigate or prosecute allegations involving officials or politically connected persons of the NDC,” he said.
Mr Awuah argued that the repeated discontinuation of prosecutions involving persons associated with the NDC administration had created a perception of selective accountability.
He said the NPP was therefore calling for an investigation based on evidence rather than political affiliation.
The NPP is also demanding clarification about the identity and alleged role of a person described in US court proceedings as a relative of then-President John Mahama in connection with the AKSA deal.
Mr Awuah said investigators must establish the person’s identity, relationship with President Mahama, involvement in the transaction and whether the individual received any money.
“The Ghanaian public deserves to know who this person was. What was the person’s relationship with President John Dramani Mahama? What company or entity was the person associated with? What role did the person play in the AKSA transaction?” he asked.
He further demanded answers on whether the individual received money and, if so, how much and for what purpose.
The Manhyia South MP said the issue raised concerns similar to those surrounding the Airbus controversy, where a person described in court records as a close relative of a high-ranking Ghanaian official featured in the case.
He said the investigation must also establish whether the alleged relative’s involvement influenced the approval process for the AKSA project.
The NPP’s demands come amid renewed scrutiny of the AKSA Energy power project following the conviction in the United States of former Goldman Sachs banker and former Tema Oil Refinery Managing Director Asante Kwaku Berko in a bribery and money-laundering case linked to the project.
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