Ghana’s Parliament has approved a tax waiver of 255 million dollars for the supply of two powerships from Karpower in Tema and Sekondi.
The approval follows the Speaker’s directive to the Attorney General to make available to the House, a ruling of the Supreme Court on the Karpower deal.
After going through the ruling, the First Deputy Speaker, Ebo Barton Odro who presided over proceedings on Friday said it had no bearing on the approval Parliament would give.
The deal was however approved.
The House also approved the report of the Presidential Committee on Emoluments for Article 71 office holders including that of the President.
The details are scanty because the deliberations on this report were held behind closed doors.
The Minority earlier asked Parliament to suspend a new agreement brought before the House for the re-powering of the Aboadze T3 power plant by AMERI.
The 138 million dollar agreement if approved will see the provision of four gas turbine engines in Takoradi to boost the capacity of the T3 plant.
The minority argued that the relevant documentation on the deal has not been provided to the House and it would be mistake for it to be passed now.
Arguing their case in Parliament on Friday, the Minority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu said “it will be a trajectory if this House should vote for this on accounts of what the Minister is telling us, completely misleading this House, it will be a tragedy.”
“Mr. Speaker I’m advising that we step this down for the time being. Mr. Speaker I will beg of the Majority Leader to please intercede that we step this down and do better diligence on it if we have to come back on the 4th of January and deal with it decisively by which time the House would have been given the relevant documentation, Mr. Speaker then I guess we can deal with that but certainly not now,” he added.
Meanwhile, the deal was deferred until Parliament returns from the Christmas break on January 4, 2017.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
