Amidu Boots Out STRANEK-AFRICA Over Agyapa Deal

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (SP) has described a petition by STRANEK-AFRICA for it to investigate the Agyapa Royalties deal as “opportunistic and populist” geared towards taking credit for processes that have already commenced independently by its office.

This was contained in a letter signed by Special Prosecutor Martin A.B.K Amidu on Tuesday, 22 September 2020 to the group.

According to the Office of the SP, the Agyapa Royalties Agreements and related issues have been matters of public interest since they were approved.

The SP stated that: “It is a notorious matter of public knowledge and notice that this office on 10 September 2020, invoked its mandate pursuant to Sections 2(1), 29, and 73 of Act 959 and Regulations 31(1) and (2) of L.I. 2374 to examine any issues arising therefrom.”

The letter continued: “It is further in the public domain that Parliament and other public institutions have already responded to this office’s request for information and documents.”

It added: “Your letter, therefore, appears to this office as an opportunistic and populist enterprise on your part to take credit for processes already independently commenced by this office. In any case, your letter containing mere speculations without more does not present any legal basis for this office to commit further resources to your request from the public purse.”

A group calling itself STRANEK-AFRICA petitioned the office of the Special Prosecutor (SP) to investigate the entity that valued Ghana’s gold royalties that were ceded to Agyapa Royalties.

STRANEK-AFRICA, which described the deal as “shrouded in illegality, secrecy and issues of conflict of interest” and, thus, inimical to the interest of Ghanaians, also called for a probe of the deal.

The group made the demands in a letter addressed to Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu and co-signed by its Executive Director Nii Tettey Tetteh and its Director of Policy Affairs on Tuesday, 22 September 2020.

The civil society organization said: “We are by this letter petitioning your high office pursuant to the Special Prosecutors Act (Act 959), 2017, to invoke the jurisdiction of the Special Prosecutor to open investigations into alleged cases of corruption, nepotism, conflict of interest and a general lack of openness and transparency that have characterized the Agyapa Royalties deal of the ruling government”.

“This follows the widespread traction the deal has gained in both traditional and social media.”