By William
Yaw Owusu
Monday, November
13, 2017
A top Norwegian private newspaper VG, has claimed
that former President John Dramani Mahama is fronting for the controversial Africa
Middle East Resources Investment Group LLC (AMERI) in Namibia, although Mr.
Mahama has denied the deal.
Mahama’s erstwhile National Democratic Congress
(NDC) government signed a $510 million deal with AMERI for the supply of 256 mw
of electricity in 2015 in the heat of the energy crisis, but it turned out to
be a rip-off, with Ghana losing about $150 million to the Dubai-based company.
It has since become a subject of heated debate as to
whether or not the contract should be abrogated, and it heightened after Mahama’s
government was voted out of office in December 2016 - when the deal was
uncovered.
Mahama’s
Refusal
According to the award-winning newspaper (VG), the
former president had refused to confirm or deny his involvement or otherwise in
AMERI in Namibia, which is believed to be owned by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Dalmouk al
Maktoum of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
According to VG, it had followed the story for more
than two years.
The report was posted on VG’s website: www.vg.no by the newspaper's journalists - ROLF J.
WIDERØE, AMUND BAKKE FOSS and SYNNØVE ÅSEBØ - on Saturday, November 11, at
09:31 and updated at 15:33 on the same day.
According to the newspaper, former President Mahama
travelled to Namibia in July with two representatives of the controversial AMERI
Group to discuss energy opportunities.
Ghana
Ripped-Off
In 2015, the newspaper revealed that Umar Farooq
Zahoor, who is still wanted by Norwegian police for fraud, and a sheikh from
Dubai had made an energy deal with the Ghanaian government that included an
overcharge of the contract sum by $150 million.
“Today VG can reveal that the former Ghanaian
president this July entered into a cooperative arrangement with the sheikh’s
company. John Mahama brought the two men representing the sheikh to Namibia -
seeking to clinch possible energy deals with yet another African nation:
Namibia,” the paper stated.
According to VG, “This July, Mahama travelled to the
Namibian capital, Windhoek, with employees of the ‘private office’ of Sheikh
Ahmed Bin Dalmouk al Maktoum of Dubai, United Arab Emirates,” adding , “This
company now owns the AMERI Group, also known as the Africa Middle East
Resources Investment Group LLC.”
AfDB’s
Advocate
It said, “According to Namibian officials, Mahama
claimed he was in Windhoek as an advocate for the African Development Bank. At
a news conference after Mahama’s meeting with Namibian President, Hage Geingob,
the former Ghanaian leader appeared with two men professionally based in Dubai.
“Until now, it has not been officially known who
these men were. But VG can now reveal
their identities: One was AMERI Group CEO, Maher Al Alili, who is also CEO of
the sheikh’s private office. The other was Mustafa Ahmed, who left behind a
business card in Namibia embossed with the logo of the sheikh’s office.
“They both work for the sheikh who signed the
controversial AMERI deal together with Umar Farooq Zahoor, who is wanted
internationally by Interpol.”
The paper recounted the Phillip Addison-led
17-member committee set up by the current Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, to
look into the AMERI deal.
Namibian
Spokesperson’s Revelation
“In an interview with VG at the end of October,
Albertous Aochamub, a spokesman for Namibia’s president, provided new and
striking information: Mahama himself set
up the meeting in Namibia and arranged for the sheikh’s representatives to join
him.
“A letter requesting an audience with the Namibian
president was sent via the Namibian Ministry of International Relations and
Cooperation from the office of former President Mahama, as is customary
practice,” Aocham tells the Norwegian newspaper.
The two gentlemen were said to have been introduced
by Mr John Mahama (as working for) the Private Office of Sheikh Ahmed Bin
Dalmook al Maktoum. They were introduced as Mr Mustafa Ahmed and Mr Maher Al
Alili. The names of the two gentlemen or the name of the company were not
mentioned in the letter from former President Mahama.
“– Among his delegation were these two gentlemen, as
well as the former High Commissioner of Ghana to Namibia, Alhaji A. R. Haruna
Attah,” Aocham adds, then continues:
“– Mahama informed President Geingob that he was in
Namibia in his capacity as an AfDB (African Development Bank) advocate for
African self-sufficiency in energy and brought UAE representatives to Namibia
after they identified the country as one of the most attractive destinations
for electricity infrastructure investments.
“Since July there has been no further contact
between the parties.
”One of the men, Mustafa Ahmed, denies to VG that he
had a role in the Namibia visit.
“I do not work for his highnesses private office,”
he says.
–
So what happened in Namibia?
“I advise several groups, not just them,” he
replies.
”Nothing happened in Namibia, so if you want to make
a big story, that’s up to you?”
–
But the sheikh’s logo and your number appear on the same business card. How do
you explain that?
“I don’t know what you are talking about. I have
nothing to hide. I know him. I have advised him and advised him, but I do not
work for him. I do not have an official position with him,” insists Ahmed.
AMERI
Lawsuit
A few days later, the company’s CEO, Maher Al Alili,
contacted VG and threatened a lawsuit. In 2015 the company had threatened to
sue VG for $150 million for its reporting on the controversial electrical power
deal between Ghana and AMERI Group.
The company said VG had published false claims about
Umar Farooq Zahoor, the man who signed the AMERI agreement and is still wanted
internationally.
“Who gave you the right to write about Umar?” asked
Al Alili, on telephone from Dubai.
“If there is anything wrong with the story, we have
the option of suing you,” he says.
“The company does not want to be open with
information or grant interviews with the media.”
Al Alili nevertheless confirmed that he was in
Namibia working for the sheikh’s office.
He refused to comment on Mahama’s ties to the Dubai
company.
“You’ll have to ask Mahama about that,” said Al
Alili.
Mahama’s
Aide
“For seven weeks VG has tried to make direct contact
with Ghana’s former president in order to obtain comments. His special advisor,
the lawyer Joyce Bawah-Mogtari, confirms that Mahama has received VG’s inquiry.
“Of course, Mr Mahama sees any request that arrives.
I am telling you he is not available, and that I will get back to you if he
becomes available,” the special advisor told VG in mid-October. VG’s many
queries have not been well received by the ex-president’s inner circle.
“He has no obligation to give you an interview. You
can’t force Mr Mahama to talk to you. Can you force the King of Norway to give
you an interview?” she queried.
Umar
Farooq
The Ameri Group has repeatedly denied that Umar
Farooq Zahoor - the man who signed the controversial energy agreement with
Ghana in 2015 - is wanted internationally by law enforcement authorities.
That is not the case.
“He is still wanted by the police internationally,”
Norwegian district attorney, Carl Graff Hartmann, confirmed to VG.
“We have received a response from the United Arab
Emirates stating they will not grant our request for the extradition of Umar
Farooq Zahoor,” he continued.
That means the UAE has refused to turn over the
internationally wanted man, who has a Pakistani passport, to Norway.
Zahoor himself has claimed he no longer works for AMERI
Group, though VG has disclosed that he still plays a key role in the sheikh’s
private office, which owns the company.
This was also confirmed by a PR officer at the
sheikh's office.
“Yes, he is working there,” said Ahmed al Baloushi
to VG.
In September, Zahoor travelled to Pakistan with
Sheikh Ahmed Bin Dalmouk al Maktoum and CEO Maher Al Alili to further discuss
yet another AMERI-related deal with Pakistani company, FWO.
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