The National Democratic congress, has described the abortive Agyapa royalties transaction as “naked thievery” and an “abuse of public funds” by the ruling NPP administration.
The party says it is appalled at the dissipation of a colossal $12 million dollars, equivalent to GHS 153 million on a deal that never materialized.
Speaking at the party’s Moment of Truth press conference held on Monday, the National Communications Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi, disclosed that he had the nod from NDC Flagbearer, John Mahama, to announce that a future NDC government will vigorously prosecute all persons involved in the Agyapa transaction and ensure refunds of any misappropriated monies.
The $12 million expenditure came to light during hearings into the Auditor General’s report conducted by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee(PAC).
When querried over the rationale behind the expenditure, CEO of the Minerals Income Investment Fund(MIIF), Edward Nana Yaw Koranteng, stated that the amount was spent on Consultancy fees, rental of office space among others.
Mr Gyamfi lamented the waste involved in the expenditure at a time when government could not meet its obligations in many important sectors with its attendant hardships for Ghanaians.
Mr Gyamfi gave a litany of priority expenditures that the GHS 153 million could have financed.
He said “My brothers and sisters, we all know what good this colossal amount of USD$12 million, which is equivalent to GHS153 million Ghana cedis (i.e 1.5 trillion old Ghana cedis) could have achieved in Ghana’s bankrupt economy if it had been put to judicious use.
• This money could have sufficed to pay the cost of several months of treatment for all kidney patients in Ghana, nineteen (19) of whom died painfully, following the shameful closure of the Renal Dialysis Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching hospital for several months last year, over government’s GHS4 million indebtedness.
• This colossal amount of money, could have been used to provide childhood vaccines to protect innocent babies from dying of childhood killer diseases due to shortage of essential vaccines.
• This USD$12 million which the country has lost to sheer corruption, could have procured textbooks for basic school children who have gone five years without curricular-based textbooks, after the introduction of a new curriculum.
• Ladies and gentlemen, USD$12 million could have paid the allowances of National Service Personnel in Ghana who have not been paid for four months now.
• Also, this huge amount of money, could have been used to create thousands of jobs for NABCO beneficiaries who have been sent home after they were promised permanent employment.
• Again, this colossal amount of money, could have been used to provide potable drinking water, or several CHIP compounds or schools for thousands of Ghanaians in deprived communities of the country.”
