The Minority in Parliament is calling on the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, to probe the over 900,000 Ghana cedis used to charter a private jet for Dome Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo, to return to the country and take part in the voting on the controversial e-levy last year.
Ranking member on the foreign Affairs committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who expressed shock over the development, lashed out at the Akufo-Addo administration over its failure to pay NABCO workers, it’s inability to resolve UTAG’s concerns among others but yet, spends close to a million cedis to ensure the approval of the E-levy.
According to him, he cannot fathom why Ghanaians and Civil Society Organization are not demanding an investigations into the issue.
“It is surprising that the focus of many including Civil Society Organizations in the series of Adwoa Asafo revelations has been on the alleged GHS120,000.00 transfer into her bank account from the Chief of Staff.
“The cost of the private jet used to ferry her from the USA to Ghana which is much higher than the GHS120,000.00 cannot be ignored. We now know that a Gulfstream G-550 registered HB-JOE and operated by Premium Jet AG based in Belgium was the executive aircraft chartered to bring in Hon. Adwoa Safo for her vote on the obnoxious E-Levy,” Mr. Ablakwa stated.
He continued “The Office of Special Prosecutor must look into the entire GHS1,068,500.00 (ONE MILLION, SIXTY-EIGHT THOUSAND AND FIVE HUNDRED GHANA CEDIS) expenditure for Adwoa Safo’s E-Vote and not only the GHS120,000.00 deposited in her account.”
The North Tongu Member of Parliament disclosed that “It cost US$4,800 an hour to rent the HB-JOE.”
He explained that “with an 11-hour flight distance, payment of reposition fees (as it flew from Belgium to pick her up in the States), payment of one-way fees (as the business jet flies back home empty), crew per diem fees, landing and wait-time fees; it cost a staggering US$140,000.00. At today’s exchange rate, that is GHS948,500.00.”
He said that quantum can do the nation a lot of good in the wake of demonstrations from NABCO beneficiaries demanding their allowance among others.
“It is most intriguing that an economy which is said to be broke can lavish a fantastic GHS948,500.00 plus GHS120,000.00 (a total of GHS1,068,500.00) just for one E-Levy vote.
“The dubious claim that Adwoa Sarfo’s flight cost was paid for by her friends is most insulting. Who are these friends? What is their motivation? Why do these friends want the unpopular E-Levy passed so badly? What do these friends expect in return? What are the tax records of these friends? Why are these friends being shielded?” he asked.
“How ironic, that the political tradition that in time past roundly rejected the reported kindness of President Rawlings’ friends will today be boldly canvassing a bizarre kind of friendship support.
“The current composition of Ghana’s 8th Parliament should lead us to a patriotic, mature and frugal path of consensus building in the national interest; and not the present embarrassing specter of opting for an extremely partisan, destructive, wasteful, small-minded and reckless road to perdition,” he added.
