Probe into money spent to fly Adwoa Safo to Ghana for E-levy vote – Minority to Special Prosecutor
The Minority in Parliament has asked the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, to investigate the use of over GH₵ 900,000 to charter a private jet for Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo, to return to the country last year to vote on the controversial e-levy.
The Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa expressed shock over the development.
He lashed out at the Akufo-Addo administration over its failure to pay NABCO workers, and address the concerns of UTAG members among others; yet spends close to a million cedis to ensure the approval of the e-levy.
Mr Ablakwa who accused the government of being insensitive to the plight of the taxpayer insists the Special Prosecutor must investigate the circumstances around the chartered flights.
According to him, there has been silence on the rental of the business jet, hence, the decision to have a probe into the matter.
He said “my investigation revealed that a jet registered HB-JOE that’s the registration detail, I found out that it cost $4,800 per hour to charter the HB-JOE. When you do a very conservative estimate, you look at how the HB-JOE was moved from Belgium to go pick her up, and bring her down to Accra, when I track that it was 11 hours journey and the aircraft wasn’t flown back,” he said.
He noted that adding the above mentioned together “with the conservative estimate that factor in the parking fees, the reposition fees, the one-way fees, the crew fees and then the wait time fees”; it means that the country lost $140,000 which is equivalent to GH₵948, 500.
He also rejected claims that the monies used for the private jet were sponsored by friends of the MP.
According to him, the identity of the financiers should be made public to settle all doubts
“We must have high standards in this country, you haven’t committed any criminal conduct, you say that you care about Adwoa Safo so much and you so much love the e-levy that you are willing to do everything to let your MP come and vote, so we want to know you. Who are you?” he said.
Source: Ghana News
