Lawyer and cousin of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has in recent times, been embroiled in a series of scandals that have have rocked the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government since 2017.Gabby, who is described by some members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) as the de facto "Prime Minster" and is often perceived as a powerful and influential figure behind the scenes, has faced allegations of leveraging his close ties with the president to interfere in deals and contracts, raising concerns about transparency, accountability, and corruption.

Here, we outline five major scandals linked to Gabby Otchere-Darko:

PDS Scandal

In 2019, the Ghanaian government terminated the concessionaire agreement with Power Distribution Service Ghana Limited (PDS) due to challenges with the financial guarantee provided for the deal. Critics accused the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration of mishandling the negotiation and signing of the power concession.

It has been alleged that some influential figures and allies within the current administration attempted to share the shares of Power Distribution Service Ghana Limited. Among those mentioned in relation to the dubious PDS deal are Philip Ayensu, a board member of PDS; Edward Akufo-Addo, also known as Bumpty, who is President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's blood brother; and Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, the nephew of President Akufo-Addo.

Ameri Deal

The energy sector saw the dismissal of Boakye Agyarko as energy minister in 2018, partly due to the involvement of Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko in the Ameri Deal. Boakye Agyarko alleged that Gabby had renegotiated the deal without the consent of the government committee assigned to handle it.

When Agyarko confronted Gabby on the matter, he was reportedly told to remain quiet because President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was already aware of the actions taken by Gabby. This incident caused controversy and added to the list of scandals involving Gabby Otchere-Darko.Frimpong-Boateng Galamsey Report

Gabby, earlier this year, was mentioned in a leaked report by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, the former environment minister, who accused him of interfering in his work to fight illegal mining (galamsey) in Ghana. Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said that Gabby had provided legal services to a Chinese company that was involved in galamsey and had tried to influence him to grant them mining permits.

In response, Gabby sued for defamation, claiming that some of the allegations made by the professor were untrue and had damaged his reputation in society.

The Agyapa Royalties Deal

In 2020, the Ghanaian government proposed the Agyapa Royalties Deal, intending to raise funds by offering shares in Agyapa Royalties Limited on the London Stock Exchange.

This deal attracted criticism from civil society groups and the opposition, who saw it as a secretive and corrupt arrangement that would benefit politicians at the expense of the country.

Veteran journalist Kweku Baako later confirmed that Gabby's law firm had served as transaction advisors to the government during this deal.

However, he clarified that Gabby's firm did not receive the alleged sum of US$2 million, but rather a much smaller amount of around US$103,000. One issue that emerged from the controversy was the involvement of Osafo-Maafo's son and Gabby Otchere-Darko in the deal.

The Kitchen Scandal

In a recent publication by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Member of Parliament from the opposition National Democratic Congress, Gabby's law firm was implicated in seeking GH¢187 million from the government for a contract that the NPP previously opposed and the current government varied upon taking office.

Ablakwa referred to Gabby as the "grand master of the government" and questioned the extent of power he wields.

These major scandals have raised concerns about transparency, accountability, and ethical practices within the government.