The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called for an independent public inquiry into the controversial “Holy Rain” scandal, demanding a full tracing of payments, beneficiaries, intermediaries and official decisions linked to the Aksa Energy power project during Ghana’s Dumsor crisis.
Their calls follow the conviction of former Goldman Sachs employee Asante Kwaku Berko in the United States for facilitating bribe payments to Ghanaian officials between 2014 and 2016 in connection with an emergency power agreement involving the Government of Ghana and a Turkish energy company.
According to the party, the allegations, which have emerged from proceedings in the United States, raise serious questions about the integrity of decisions taken during the first administration of former President John Dramani Mahama and require a credible domestic investigation.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday August,13, Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Hon. Nana Adjei Baffour Awuah stressed that, the proposed inquiry should establish the identities and official roles of persons who handled the Aksa project and its approvals in 2015.
“The public inquiry is not just to find culprits and also punish them. It’s also to give people who are perceived to be involved but are innocent the opportunity to clear their name and, more importantly, give us an idea of why some of these issues have been occurring or have been recurring over the years.”
He added that the new patriotic party’s call for an inquiry is not intended to prejudge the guilt of anyone who has not been convicted by a competent court.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Vincent Kwofie