Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has called for renewed investigations into the AKSA power deal, urging the government to demonstrate accountability for public officials who may have breached the law. Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile, the South Dayi MP said Ghana should not rely solely on US proceedings to determine what happened in the transaction involving Ghanaian institutions and officials.
AKSA Power Deal Revived as US Case Proceeds
The US case against former Goldman Sachs banker Asante Kwaku Berko has revived questions in Ghana about alleged payments to public officials in connection with a power project with the Turkish energy company Aksa Enerji. Dafeamekpor argued that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) had provided substantial investigative assistance to US authorities, suggesting that Ghanaian institutions already have knowledge and information relevant to the case.
Dafeamekpor said the OSP indicated that they have offered tremendous assistance in terms of investigations from Ghana to support the prosecution of the case in the US. He believes this involvement strengthens the case for a Ghanaian inquiry capable of establishing the domestic dimension of the allegations. "Let us all agree that we need to do a further inquiry on our own and to bring out the true facts, and if anybody is guilty, the law must take its course," he added.
Lack of Confidence in Ghana's Investigation?
The Majority Chief Whip also questioned the NPP's stated lack of confidence in the Attorney-General as the institution to lead any fresh Ghanaian investigation. He described that position as "very interesting", pointing out that the controversy has existed for more than 10 years. The matter has been with us for the past 10 years or more, he said.
Accountability and Sanctions
Dafeamekpor argued that Ghana frequently discusses allegations of corruption and misconduct at length but fails to impose sufficiently meaningful sanctions when wrongdoing is established. "We are not punishing some of these things well enough, and so we all speak about it and we leave it," he said. He warned that unless public officials and former office-holders are made genuinely accountable for wrongdoing, future generations will have little reason to take the country's institutions seriously.
Ghana's Anti-Corruption Architecture
The argument places the AKSA controversy within a much larger debate about Ghana's anti-corruption architecture. For Dafeamekpor, institutional structures must ultimately be judged by whether they produce results. It is against this background that Dafeamekpor insisted that Ghana's response must not be allowed to lose momentum. "So me, I am in favour of the call, and the investigations must be pursued with alacrity," he said.
Pursuing the Investigation with Purpose and Speed
The investigation, he said, should establish the facts, produce a report, and if anyone is found guilty, they should face consequences. "This matter must not slack; we must pursue it with purpose and speed and dispatch," he said. Dafeamekpor's call for renewed investigations into the AKSA power deal has sparked a renewed debate about Ghana's anti-corruption architecture and the need for public officials to be held accountable for their actions.
Source: Joy Online
