Lawyer and prominent member of the NPP, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, says that despite the controversies surrounding the Agyapa deal, it is a legitimate transaction that will better serve the interests of the nation.
Mr. Otchere-Darko made the statement against the recent ruling by the ECOWAS court on the matter, following a suit by some CSOs.
The ECOWAS court, presided by Justice Dupe Atoki from Nigeria, Justice Sengu Mohammed Koroma from Sierra Leone, and Justice Ricardo Claudio Monteiro Goncalves from Cape Verde, dismissed the suit from three applicants, Transparency International, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), on July 10, but came out with its full judgment and reasoning on Tuesday.
In the ruling, the three-member panel held that the claims by the applicants were preemptive and did not justify the description of a violation of fundamental human rights as stated by the petitioners.
“The court considers the claim of the Applicants a preemptive one which has been brought hastily without due consideration as to the rudiments of bringing a claim for the violation of human rights. Whilst it is important that human rights are jealously guarded, the Court will admonish the applicants that democratic pillars, like Parliamentary approval, form part of the checks and balances for the safeguard of human rights.”
The ruling added that “There is no evidence before this court pointing to the actual misappropriation of the common wealth of the people of Ghana that has deprived the people from benefiting from it; What this court has before it is in fact evidence of processes that flow from democratic institutions and have gained approval from the people’s representatives, that is Parliament.”
Reacting to the ruling by the ECOWAS court, Mr. Otchere-Darko questioned why the anti-corruption campaigners have been quiet since the ruling in July.
“I wonder why Transparency International, Ghana Integrity Initiative and the CSOs who went to an international court over Agyapa have been quiet since July after their case was dismissed on all fronts. But, I thank them for that move. It is good for our democracy,” he said in a Twitter (X) post.
He also contended that the deal was legitimate and not laced with corruption and greed, as opponents have made people believe.
“Agyapa, a very legitimate, even if controversial, move by govt to expand the use of its gold revenues, had no corruption about it. Zero! You may not like it but to say, as they did, that a group of related persons were stealing Ghana’s gold was really sad and low,” Gabby added.
