The Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa constituency, K.T Hammond says he cannot be blamed for the delay on the presentation of the report on controversial Ameri deal on the Floor of Parliament.
According to him, some complaints must be directed to the Majority leader who leads parliamentary business.
“It hasn’t come to the plenary because the Majority Leader hasn’t put it in the business,” he said on the Point Blank segment on Eyewitness News on Tuesday. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) government signed a $510 million Ameri contract in 2015 to secure a 300MW emergency power at the peak of the country’s power crisis.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) while in opposition accused John Mahama government of fraud over the deal.
The party vowed to review or abrogate the agreement if it wins power.
True to their words, few months into office, it formed a 17-member committee to investigate the issue. The committee was fraught with some controversies but later upheld the party’s earlier position.
K.T Hammond subsequently moved that Parliament withdraws the Ameri agreement due to what he calls “misrepresentations” by the company when the deal was presented to the House under the Mahama Administration.
A committee was set by Parliament to investigate the issue and make recommendations; however, a year down the line, its report has not yet been released.
Meanwhile, there are reports that the Attorney General has cleared the Ameri deal stating that the John Mahama government did not “err” in signing the agreement because it was “valid.”
But KT Hammond believes that Parliament’s investigative committee has a different take on the matter, but said it has to brought before Parliament first.
Mr. Hammond said on Point Blank that he’s aware the chairman of the said committee, Emmanuel Kwasi Gyamfi, had informed the Majority Leader that the report was ready.
“The committee has prepared its report; it’s been outstanding for some time now. You’d need to put this question to the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu. He is the leader of the House, he manages the business of the House, and he would have to determine when there is a slot for the report.”
“I have been running enquiries with him on why this thing hasn’t come up yet,” KT Hammond said.
He could not state the reason the Majority Leader gave for the delay in bringing the report to the Floor of the House.
“I want this to come from his mouth [Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu]; you know the Majority Leader can speak for himself. He is very good and very articulate, he can speak for himself,” he said.
Apologize to Mahama for ‘false AMERI accusations’ – Minority demands
In a related development, the Minority Members of Parliament are demanding an express apology from the president, Nana Akufo-Addo for what they describe as ‘unwarranted attacks’ on John Mahama in the run-up to 2016 general elections over the controversial AMERI power deal.
Their call is premised on the supposed Attorney General’s report on the contract which seemed to have exonerated the previous government.
According to the Minority NDC, the report from the Attorney General’s department vindicates John Mahama and “proved that Former President Mahama and his government took a very good decision in the wake of the energy challenges.”
We can’t apologize now
But KT Hammond said they can’t render an apology now.
“I never made the point that the NDC government and the Minister of Power or whoever was responsible at the time did something fishy…there can’t be an apology,” he said.
According to KT, even if “there could be an apology” Ghanaians would have to “wait for the committee to present its report thereafter we decide who renders the apology.”
