Civil society organisations are demanding an immediate review and investigation into the circumstances surrounding the renewal of the AKSA Energy agreement with the government of Ghana in October 2022.

The groups say the manner in which the agreement was renewed raises serious questions about transparency, accountability and whether the transaction was conducted in the national interest.

Their concerns have resurfaced following the conviction of former Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Managing Director, Asante Kwaku Berko, by a United States court for bribing government officials in connection with a power plant deal involving Ghana in 2015.

The conviction has renewed scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the power deal and the possible involvement of public officials.

Vice-President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, is demanding the immediate arrest and investigation of officials implicated in the scandal.

“The officials implicated in the scandal must be immediately arrested and investigations initiated,” he said.

He questioned why Ghanaian authorities had not acted decisively despite information emerging from the US proceedings.

“We who suffered, we whose citizens die, we whose economy is ground to a halt, sat and watched politicians make money off our backs as people die,” he said.

Mr Bentil argued that the President, the police and the Attorney General have the authority to initiate investigations into the individuals named in connection with the bribery scheme.

“Nothing stops the OSP tomorrow. Nothing stops EOCO tomorrow and nothing stops the Attorney General tomorrow from telling them to do so, to tell us what we did and what you are going to do with this information,” he added.

Also, Chairman of the AU Advisory Board Against Corruption, Edem Senanu, has also raised concerns about Ghana's ability to detect and investigate corruption involving public officials.

He expressed concern that the alleged transactions could have taken place without adequate scrutiny from Ghanaian institutions.

“I am really embarrassed that any Ghanaian within that system should think that you just be giving money to be paying these things and there was not going to be any cross-checking,” he said.

According to him, the discovery of crucial information in a private email account highlights the extent to which external investigations may sometimes uncover wrongdoing that domestic systems fail to detect.

He noted that the US authorities were able to identify details of the alleged scheme through their own investigations.

Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem-Sai has meanwhile disclosed that the Attorney General is working with US authorities to bring persons implicated in the alleged bribery scheme to book.

In a post on Facebook, he said Ghanaian authorities were engaging their American counterparts as investigations into the matter continue.

The latest demands follow Asante Kwaku Berko's conviction by a United States federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, on charges of conspiracy to violate the United States’ Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other related laws.

The development brings renewed attention to the controversial power plant contract and the alleged corruption surrounding its development between 2014 and 2017.

The civil society groups insist that the conviction in the United States provides sufficient grounds for Ghanaian authorities to reopen questions surrounding the transaction and establish whether any Ghanaian officials breached the law or abused public office.