There is nothing wrong with the role that Kofi Bosompem Osafo-Maafo, son of Senior Minister is playing in the Agyapa Royalties agreement, Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has said.
He explained he is first of all, a Ghanaian and also qualifies to occupy that position as far as the agreement is concerned.
Critics have accused the government of nepotism and favoritism following the involvement of Bosompem Safo-Maafo in the deal.
For instance, a Deputy National Youth Organizer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Edem Agbana, condemned the decision to include him in the arrangement.
He said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) criticized businessman Ibrahaim Mahama, who is also a brother to former President John Mahama, when he expressed interest in Ghana’s bauxite and described it as a family and friends governance Mr Mahama was running in the country.
But, he said, they found it convenient to include Osafo-Mafo’s son in the Agyapa deal.
Mr Agbana said on TV3 on Wednesday, August 26 that the “whole thing is a family and friends cooked deal meant to [allegedly] rob this country of millions of dollars. I am surprised that today NPP thinks that if somebody is linked to a politician and the person even has competence or expertise in a particular area that expertise can be put to good use. I am surprised that Kojo Oppong Nkrumah will defend the inclusion of Osafo-Maafo’s son in this deal and say that he is qualified for it.
“Osafo-Maafo’s son is qualified but Ibrahim Mahama…is not qualified? As we speak Ibrahim Mahama’s company has done businesses with very creditable governments not just in Ghana.
“These were the people that bastardized Ibrahim Mahama’s interest in Ghana’s bauxite even though he went through the right process. Today, they are telling us that Osafo-Maafo’s son is qualified (for this deal) but any other person is not qualified.”
But speaking in an interview with Berla Mundi on the New Day on TV3 Wednesday September 23, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who is also Member of Parliament for Suame and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs said “ People said that Osafo Maafo’s son is involved and the law firm of Gabby Otchere Darko, I don’t want to go into that.
“The fact is, are those people Ghanaians? If they are Ghanaians and nothing untoward has happened I don’t think anybody [can questioned it]”
He added, “Former President Mahama, for instance, was giving a significant proportion of Nyinahin Bauxite to his brother Ibrahim. Was that wrong? Ibrahim is a Ghanaian. To the extent that we had done good diligence to enable us know the worth of the bauxite and for the state to have had something reasonable from Ibrahim and that maybe the deal had come to parliament for ratification.”
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana