The docket involving the case of the sum of USD15 miliion Social Responsibility allegedly paid to Government officials through private lawyers on the instructions of the former President but not accounted for to the public purse was called for by the then Deputy Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Akutiringa Ayine, who granted an indemnity to the suspects and never returned the docket to the Prosecutions Division as disclosed by the division’s movement book.
Additionally, the late Ms. Gertrude Aikins from whom the docket in the custody of the office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution was called for by the Deputy Minister had documented the delivery of the docket to Dr. Ayine in the movement book of the division and had subsequently expressed reservations to colleagues and others about her fears that Dr. Ayine was not trained in prosecutions to follow due procedure towards closing the docket which he intended to do.
It is also regrettable to note that attempts to get the duplicate docket from officials of the Police CID has for the past one year proved futile despite the strongest assurances that the CID will not relent on its strenuous efforts to locate the docket.
The location of the docket has become necessary because of an on-going investigation of a case of abuse of public office for private profit or benefit in diverting into private or party accounts the sum USD15miliion allegedly paid to the Government of Ghana as part of Corporate Social Responsibility for the development of the people of the West Cape Three Points Area in the Western region by the E.O Group as part of the condition precedent for the grant of an Executive Consent by the Government of Ghana to the E.O Group to transfer their shares to Tullow in 2011 and be granted indemnity from prosecution by the Government of Ghana.
The missing amount was meant for the execution of projects of a social nature to benefit the communities affected by the West Cape Three Points block operations.
It is also established that the Presidential Executive Consent was granted by the late President Mills accordingly on 21st July 2011 and the Minister of Energy, Dr. Joe Oteng Adjei issued the consent and the transaction concluded.
Accordingly, the letter of indemnity was signed two years later by Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, then-Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Minister of Justice on or about the 3rd and/or 4th July 2013 alleged on behalf of his superior, the then-Attorney General without any record of a written delegation of the Attorney General’s authority under article 88 of the 1992 Constitution to Dr. Ayine.
The laid-back approach by the Police CID who are supposed to have a secured copy of the police docket under lock and key has delayed the investigations ability to establish which private pockets or accounts the USD15 million was deposited. The recovery of the stolen USD15 million will become a major game-changer in dealing with looters of the public purse.
It has become necessary to find out why Dr. Ayine has refused to indicated through which movement book he return the Director of Public Prosecution’s copy of the police docket or whether he took it away after leaving office to obliterate the transaction. The major issue is whose interest which could be scandalous is whose interest the officers at the Police CID are protecting by also failing or refusing to produce the secured docket under lock and key in their passion to facilitate the on-going investigation of the whereabouts of the USD15 million lost to the public purse. Hopefully this will not turn out to be another case of create, loot and share.
It is almost impossible that USD15 million could disappear without the knowledge and explicit instructions from the substantive Attorney General if she really delegated her authority in writing to her deputy and/or of the President of the time, John Dramani Mahama who was the brain behind the grant of the Executive Consent and the further grant indemnity from prosecution in 2013.
The foregoing is obviously a clear case for the Special Prosecutor to have a look at. It is therefore not surprising that Dr. Ayine, acting on behalf of his boss, former President Mahama is the same person challenging Mr. Martin AB Amidu’s appointment as the Special Prosecutor. .
And the refusal by some public agencies to do the needful by assisting the investigations with all that is needed is an act in service of a grand cover-up scheme woven to steal and chop the USD15 million of money meant to provide better living standards for Communities within the Jubilee Fields enclave.
By Nana Kofi Nsiah, nknsiah88@yahoo.co.uk
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this write-up do not represent the views of EIB Network
