Years after spearheading unethical payments to silence Media Houses and CSOs in US$1.6 Billion transaction The Herald’s digging into the operations of the Norwegian oil company, Aker Energy Ghana Limited, has finally revealed the payment of a whopping One Hundred and Twenty Five Thousand, Two Hundred and Eighty One United States Dollars, Twenty One Pence (US$125, 281. 21) to a Ghanaian journalist for Media Consultancy and Communication Service.
Details of the payments were captured in a document recently submitted to the Petroleum Commission by Aker Energy.
US$125, 281. 21, was dished out to a company called Excomsult Media, and owned by the journalist, whom The Herald had sighted in some unethical payments to some pressmen and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) not to question attempts by Aker Energy and Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to go into a US$1.6 billion transaction.
The Herald’s background checks on the Excomsult Media, revealed that it is owned by one Evans Mensah, a reporter with Multimedia Group, owners of Joy FM. His role mainly was to kill negative stories in the Ghanaian media about Aker.
Indeed, some CSOs, had complained about the Multimedia platforms being shut on them with respect to the activities of some multinational companies operating in Ghana.
Per the current records, Aker Energy, had engaged Evans Mensah from 1st January 2022 to December 2022, but The Herald’s information is that, the engagement dates way back, implying that he has received more than the US$125, 281. 21.
At the heat of US$1.6 billion transaction between the Norway-based AKER Energy and GNPC sometime in 2021, officials of the two institutions were moving from one media house to another, as well as the offices of the CSOs, offering them money ahead of a parliamentary debate on the transaction to remain quiet about it or openly support the transaction involving an unverified oil well.
Duncan Amoah, the Executive Secretary of Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) and the Executive Director of Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), Mensah Thompson, have since admitted collecting the cash from Aker and the GNPC team.
While, Duncan Amoah said he received GHC30, 000 from Evans Mensah, Mr Thompson revealed he got some GHC10, 000 from the AKER and GNPC officials; the sellers and buyers had called him on phone and met him up at the Airport Residential Area in Accra and handed him the money.
The Herald has since discovered that many more CSO operators, journalists, as well as Members of Parliament, were paid over the US$1.6 billion transaction which eventually collapsed, following a decision by AGM, a sister company of AKER Energy, to pull out. Some had also visited the Trasacco residence of the then Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GNPC, KK Sarpong.
Evans Mensah, had also told The Herald that he has been working for Aker Energy, but mainly on writing and issuing press statements on behalf of the Norwegian company.
He told the paper that he decided to stay away from the US$1.6 billion transaction and go for a holiday in Dubai with his family when it became obvious that people had taken an entrenched position on the deal.
What struck him most to stay away, was the mentioning of Dr Emmanuel Steve Asare Manteaw, as supporting the deal, because he had also pocketed some cash from the promoters of the transactions.
But it has emerged that Evans’ role goes from writing press statements to using his private company to do business for the Norwegians.
Source: The Herald Newspaper