New Patriotic Party (NPP) communication team member, Aaron Asiedu Antwi, has demanded a detailed breakdown of the GHS27 million reportedly spent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the evacuation of stranded Ghanaians from South Africa.
Speaking on Angel FM’s ‘Anɔpa Bɔfoɔ’ on Thursday, October 29, Mr Asiedu Antwi challenged Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to publish receipts and payment documents to justify the expenditure.
He argued that expert estimates put the cost of chartering a flight from Johannesburg to Accra at between $180,000 and $300,000 for the approximately 4,850-kilometre, six-hour journey.
“We asked an expert the flight fee from Johannesburg to Accra, and he said it will cost from $180,000 to $300,000,” he said.
According to him, the evacuation was carried out using an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787-900 aircraft. He said even if the government paid the highest estimate of $300,000 per flight due to the emergency, three flights should cost $900,000 in total.
He said that amount should translate to a little over GHS10 million, and questioned why the Ministry reported spending GHS27 million.
“If you calculate it, it means he boarded a flight for over $750,000. Which is the question we’re asking,” he said.
Mr Asiedu Antwi further alleged that about $1.35 million may have been misappropriated, citing the gap between the estimated cost and the reported figure.
He also claimed that the over 200 payment documents presented by the Minister to the Minority contained no receipt for the chartered flights.
“The 200 payment documents the minister gave to the Minority, I am saying it boldly that there’s not even a single receipt on the chartered flight,” he stated.
He has therefore challenged Mr Ablakwa to produce the relevant receipts.
“Bring the receipts or you bring our money. It’s no long talk,” he added.
Source: Abigail Ekua Arhin
