The Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Haruna Iddrisu has said Parliament cannot cure the defects in the Agyapa Mineral Royalties deal.

The Minority had opposed it in Parliament but it passed through the approval process.

Some civil society organisations raised concerns after Parliament’s passage and therefore the Office of Special Prosecution (OSP), exercising his discretion decided to do a corruption and anti-corruption risk assessment.

The deal, according to the OSP, contains some loose ends.

After the OSP submitted his report to the Presidency, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday directed the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori Atta to take the deal back to Parliament for it to go through the approval process again.

But speaking to the media, the Minority Leader said those loose ends identified by the OSP cannot be cured by Parliament.

“Just ten of the mineral mining companies make significant contributions to our total revenue. Parliament cannot remedy the defects, so identified by the special prosecutor.”

He quizzed “how is parliament going to cure nepotism and cronyism. How is parliament going to cure that you painted a chief executive without due process? How is parliament going to cure that you passed a resolution on a non-existing law? You don’t build a house on nothing, it was built on nothing. How is parliament going to cure that a motion is moved, and the motion is amended at the very time it was to be adopted to make room to wait for a president to ascent to a bill so passed by parliament?”

“We feel strongly vindicated, the truth must always stand with the political minority at all times.”

He added that “Ghanaians will now understand why momentarily I lost my cool and temperament. For an important national matter for this character and nature, you find a minister of state trivialize it with ‘papa no’ at that time, not concerned about the weight and magnitude of this particular transaction.”

“You want to take gold revenue for the next 10-15 years What does that mean to the state, what does it mean to chiefs and people who earn a portion of the mineral development fund. Government ministers were joking and reduced that transaction to a trip fall.”

He further mentioned that the minority is not likely to change its position.

“But we don’t support it today, we don’t support it tomorrow, we don’t support it into the future. Parliament cannot correct any of the defined defects.”

We reproduce in the attachment below a full copy of Mr Ken Ofori-Atta’s comment to the OSP’s report which he sent to President Akufo-Addo.

Source: Graphic.com.gh