The immediate past Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo is one of the casualties of hacking done by President Akufo-Addo on his ministers for his second term. She has been given the boot only to be replaced with her deputy, Godfred Yeboah Dame.
After much criticism of his elephant-sized government, President Akufo-Addo was forced to cull some ministers that were mostly a disaster in his first term. They became collateral damage for the administration’s image correcting agenda.
Whatsup News is gathering that Gloria Akufo’s sacking from her position as Attorney General, may be linked with her spirited effort to save Ghana from the dubious Agyapa Royalties deal that was being pushed through fraudulently by Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
During the convoluted plan by the lobbyist of Agyapa to capture Ghana’s gold royalties estimated at over US$2.5 billion, documents intercepted by Whatsup News showed Gloria Akuffo frantically protested against the state capture through the dubious Agyapa/Asaase Royalties deal.
She described the deal variously as “very onerous” and “unconscionable”.
The legal advice from Ms. Gloria Akuffo dated July 22, 2020, read in part: “It is noted from the nature and purpose of the Mineral Royalties Investment Agreement and the related agreements that, there would be a one-off payment of the sum of One Billion US Dollars. It is however unclear what other benefits would come to the Republic of Ghana and the Fund other than the one-off payment considering that this agreement runs in perpetuity with
stringent responsibilities of the Fund throughout its lifespan.”
The AG further raised red flags about the sweeping safety nets given to Agyapa/Asaase Royalties to the detriment and against the interest of Ghana.
The agreement basically subjugates Ghana’s judiciary and renders it completely powerless to make any legal intervention, noted Gloria Akufo.
“It freezes anything legal including judicial orders and decisions. In effect no court can pronounce on any part of the agreement as being illegal, unconscionable, null and void or on any matter before the court which may or is likely to affect any part of the agreement. This will amount to executive interference of the powers of the judiciary, which is a violation of the concept of separation of powers as provided under the Constitution of Ghana. Therefore, the executive arm of government cannot enter into an agreement that curtails the independence of both the Legislature and the Judiciary,” the AG wrote.
“…It is noted that the terms and conditions of the Agreements are very onerous. The provisions are skewed against the interest of the Fund and the Republic.”
Eventually, a corruption assessment conducted on the Agyapa deal by the resigned Special Prosecutor, Martin A.B.K Amidu confirmed Gloria Akuffo’s misgivings when Amidu discovered that the entire deal was the brainchild of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who used a South African company, Imara Pty to front for his private company, Databank Financial Services in the Agyapa deal.
Amidu had to exit when he accused President Akufo-Addo of attempting to cover-up the Agyapa mess.
The experience of Martin Amidu and the fate of Gloria Akuffo in the latest streamlining of the administration’s ministers have given impetus to critics who suspected that the President left Gloria Akuffo out of his new government probably because of her Agyapa stance.
President Akufo-Addo has essentially restructured his government size, by reducing his over 112 in his first term to only 85 currently, with Gloria Akuffo being part of those that have been hacked off the government.
Others such as the amorphous “Senior Minister” Yaw Osafo Maafo were gotten rid of and the entire ministry scrapped altogether.
Source: Whatsupnewsghana