The Minority in Ghana’s Parliament has been able to put on hold the latest agreement of the AMERI Deal, member of Parliament Select Committee on Energy, Adams Muntawakilu has told A1 Radio News.
The new agreement was laid in parliament on Thursday to introduce a third party, Mytilineos International Trading Company, to take charge of operations of the AMERI plant.
Government in the new agreement will pay AMERI some $39 million. Mytilineos International Trading Company which is the new entity in the deal will also pay $52 million to AMERI on behalf of Ghana’s government.
The government of Ghana says it will save the state $405 million with the agreement in the new deal.
But the general public, industry stakeholders and the Minority in Parliament, especially, have raised concerns about the new agreement.
Senior staff of the Volta River Authority (VRA) also stated their opposition to the new agreement.
Speaking on Day Break Upper East on A1 Radio Monday, Adam Muntawakilu said government’s failure to follow due processes and the cost of the deal are what have made the Minority calls for a hold on the amendment of the deal.
The Member of Parliament for Damongo says the Public Financial Management Act 2016 specifies that “any agreement that will put some financial burden on government for more than one year should be approved by the Minister of Finance”
He said government did not get the approval of the Finance Minister which is against the Act and “will put the government of Ghana in a financial commitment for 15 years”.
“In 2016, we passed an Act called the Public Financial Management Act 2016 which requires that any agreement that will put some financial burden on government for more than one year should be approved by the Minister of Finance.
“Now, this agreement that they brought to us will put thus country in financial commitment for 15 years. But they did not go to the Minister of Finance for approval which is in breach of the Law.
Mr. Muntawakilu continued that the failure of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to give their legal opinion on the agreement also counts for Minority’s stance on the deal.
“The second one is that any of these agreements because of the financial commitment, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice should give their legal opinion on that agreement.
“In this agreement nothing of that happened”. He stressed.
A1 Radio News|A1radioonline.com|Ghana
