‘We are robbing people and using it this way. I can’t get it” – Domelevo on Agyapa Royalties deal

The former Auditor-General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo, has asserted that the botched Agyapa Gold Royalties deal is a clear case of robbery of public funds.

According to the Chief Executive Officer for the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), Edward Nana Yaw Koranteng, the government spent US$12 million on the botched deal.

Speaking with Keminni Amanor, host of TV3’s Hot Issues, on Sunday, March 17, the former Auditor-General stressed that the systems in place are “tolerating the irregularities”.

“If it had happened earlier on and it was nipped in the bud and people were not tolerated even government sanctioning the various people and actions were taken, people would have been deterred. But then they came strong and said they have to do it and the impunity continues,” he said, adding that swift action from a President deters public servants.

He maintained that if people were sanctioned following the risk analysis report by former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu, the country would have been saved from spending the US$12 million on such a deal.

The former Auditor-General did not mince words, saying that the country is being moved from “taxation to robbery” instead of from taxation to production, as the President promised Ghanaians.

“If by the time the financial risk assessment report on Agyapa was done and people’s heads started rolling, I think we will not be told today that some 12 million [dollars] have been paid.

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He continued by saying that “if monies which should not be paid have been paid and we are taxing people, they are moving the country from taxation to robbery instead to production that we were promised. Now we are robbing everybody. Even the money that we are using to pay them, they tax you on it so this is robbery. We are robbing people and using it this way. I can’t get it.”

“So it is the tone at the top which determines leadership”, he reiterated.

He, therefore, questioned what actions the government has taken against its appointees who have been named in corruption-related offenses, emphasising that President Akufo-Addo has been “too tolerant when it comes to corruption”.