Ghana’s gold-for-oil deal is opaque, former President John Mahama has said.

He insists a deal of that nature must be scrutinised by parliament.

“According to the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, international financial transactions require the approval of parliament,” he stated at a public forum in London.

He said: “It does not matter” if it is “a barter trade.”

“There is a complete lack of transparency about the transaction, and that is one of the major problems with this government: they hide everything and do as they please”, he noted.

So far, Ghana has taken delivery of 40,000 metric tonnes of oil from UAE through the deal.

It is meant to beat down fuel prices in Ghana.