North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that the Attorney General, Godfred Dame, has provided three legal opinions in favor of Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.
These opinions support claims made by Gabby’s law firm, Africa Legal Associates (ALA), seeking an amount of GH¢187 million from the government for West Blue, a company previously contracted by the John Dramani Mahama government for port services.
In his recent investigative publication titled “Kitchen scandal,” Ablakwa highlighted how Gabby, who vehemently opposed the West Blue deal in 2015, later became the company’s lawyer and sought damages for the firm regarding a contract that the current government revised after coming into office.
Ablakwa expressed concern over the apparent double standards and betrayal, as Gabby and Godfred had strayed from the NPP’s previous opposition to the West Blue contract and now advocated strongly for it. The Attorney General issued three legal opinions in support of Gabby’s stance, with the latest one dated 16th December 2022 being particularly worrying, as it allegedly lacked input from the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority.
The Finance Ministry had previously communicated with West Blue and reached an understanding that protected the public purse, but Gabby and Godfred’s positions contradicted this agreement. Ablakwa questioned their motivation for imposing such a significant financial burden on Ghanaians and raised concerns about potential financial loss to the country.
He also highlighted the shifting position of the Ministry of Finance, suspected to be influenced by pressure from Gabby, and noted the involvement of Ken Ofori-Atta, who is closely linked to both the new Chief Director of the Ministry, Eva Esselba Mends, and Gabby.
Furthermore, Ablakwa pointed out that Gabby’s 6-week ultimatum for payment of the GH¢187.3 million coincided with Ghana receiving US$603 million from the IMF in May 2023.