Lawyer for former Power Minister Dr Kwabena Donkor, K.T. Hammond, says he has not received any instructions from his client indicating that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has contacted him over allegations of bribery linked to the Aksa Energy power deal.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, Mr Hammond was asked whether Dr Donkor had been approached by the OSP or the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) following recent developments in the United States concerning the transaction.
Asked specifically if the OSP had contacted the former minister, Mr Hammond responded: “I’m not so instructed.”
The comments come as scrutiny intensifies in Ghana over the Aksa Energy agreement and allegations of improper payments associated with the transaction.
Dr Donkor was the minister responsible for Power when the agreement between the Government of Ghana and Aksa Energy was negotiated. Mr Hammond acknowledged that his client exercised ministerial oversight over the process and ensured that the agreement followed the required procedures for presentation to Parliament for ratification.
He, however, firmly denied any suggestion that Dr Donkor was involved in soliciting or receiving improper payments in connection with the deal.
According to Mr Hammond, Dr Donkor had no dealings with Asante Berko, the former Managing Director of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) who has been at the centre of the bribery allegations in the United States.
“He didn’t meet this man, Berko. He never negotiated with him. He never made any demand,” the lawyer said.
Mr Hammond maintained that the former minister neither requested nor received money in relation to the transaction and should not be held accountable for actions allegedly undertaken by other individuals without his authorisation.
He argued that if anyone invoked Dr Donkor’s name while allegedly making improper demands for personal benefit, such conduct could not automatically be attributed to the former minister.
“If anybody goes on the frolic of their own and makes some outrageous and preposterous demands on his behalf, he did not authorise that. Certain individuals would have done it for their own benefit, and he cannot be held responsible for that,” he stated.
The lawyer also defended the involvement of Ghanaian technical officials who travelled to Istanbul to inspect equipment intended for the Aksa Energy project.
Mr Hammond explained that such inspections were a routine component of major power projects, allowing engineers and technical representatives from relevant institutions to assess equipment before it was shipped to Ghana.
He said the inspections were intended to establish whether the equipment met the required standards in terms of quality, quantity and suitability for the project.
The Aksa Energy controversy has attracted renewed attention following developments in the United States, prompting fresh questions in Ghana about the circumstances surrounding the agreement and the possible involvement of Ghanaian officials.
The ongoing scrutiny is expected to determine whether any public officials or other persons in Ghana participated in the alleged improper payments and whether their conduct amounted to any criminal or other legal offence.
