The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called for an independent public inquiry into the controversial “Holy Rain” scandal, demanding a full tracing of payments, beneficiaries, intermediaries and official decisions linked to the Aksa Energy power project during Ghana’s power crisis.

The call follows the conviction of former Goldman Sachs employee Asante Kwaku Berko in the United States for facilitating bribe payments to Ghanaian officials between 2014 and 2016 in connection with an emergency power agreement involving the Government of Ghana and Turkish energy company Aksa Energy.

According to the NPP, the allegations emerging from the US proceedings raise serious questions about decisions taken during the first administration of former President John Dramani Mahama and require a credible domestic investigation.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, Manhyia South MP Nana Adjei Baffour Awuah said the inquiry should establish the identities and official roles of persons who handled the Aksa project and its approvals in 2015.

“The public inquiry is not just to find culprits and also punish them. It’s also to give people who are perceived to be involved but are innocent the opportunity to clear their name and, more importantly, give us an idea of why some of these issues have been occurring or have been recurring over the years,” he said.

He stressed that the NPP’s call for an inquiry was not intended to prejudge the guilt of anyone who had not been convicted by a competent court.