Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Pressure is mounting on the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, over expenditure on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa, with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) giving him seven days to produce supporting documents and warning of further action if he fails to comply.
The party is demanding charter flight invoices and contracts, payment vouchers, signed payment records and a complete list of the 1,964 evacuees, with proof of payment against each name.
The demand comes amid questions raised by the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, over discrepancies in records relating to payments made to the evacuees.
Mr. Ayeh said documents presented for scrutiny were expected to show that each evacuee received GH¢5,000 as a reintegration package and GH¢500 for transportation, with corresponding records to enable the payments to be reconciled.
He said the records should make it possible to match each beneficiary’s signature against both payments to establish that the same person received the two amounts.
However, he said the reconciliation exercise revealed a shortfall of 442 in the figures, alongside signatures attributed to children as young as one-year-old and six months.
“When we put together the numbers, we found 442 minus, and we are seeing signatures before a one-year-old, a six-month-old. How is the one-year-old able to sign a signature?” he asked.
Mr. Ayeh stated that the discrepancies were among the major concerns that informed the figures presented in relation to the evacuation expenditure, which he put at GH¢16.4 million.
The concerns have added to calls for the Minister to account for the expenditure and provide documents to establish how the funds were disbursed.
Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday, October 18, the NPP Communications Director, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, said the party wanted the complete set of documents made available within seven days.
“Produce the complete set of documents within seven days. Lay before the RTI requisition and Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee every charter invoice and contract, every payment voucher, every signed sheet, and the full list of 1,964 evacuees with proof of payment against each name,” he said.
The party is also seeking details of how the charter flight operator was selected under the Public Procurement Act and an explanation of the reported GH¢16 million expenditure, including whether the amount was paid in cash or used for purchases.
It further wants Mr. Ablakwa to explain discrepancies in two sets of figures relating to ASKY Airlines and different versions of a letter identified as CC/7, including which version was submitted to the Auditor-General.
The NPP is also calling for an independent audit by an internationally recognised firm, with the terms of reference and findings made public.
Mr. Aboagye said the Auditor-General’s review of the expenditure was welcome but should not be the only measure to ensure accountability.
He warned that failure to meet the demands would lead the party to support the Minority in Parliament to pursue the matter, including through urgent questions to the Minister.
The NPP also intends to petition the Auditor-General to prioritise the evacuation expenditure in the special audit and pursue further remedies under the Right to Information Act.
The party questioned Mr. Ablakwa’s commitment to accountability, arguing that he had previously demanded detailed explanations of public expenditure from successive governments while in opposition.
It said the same standard of transparency should apply to the current administration.
“The 1,964 Ghanaians who fled South Africa suffered enough. They should not now become a headline figure behind which public money cannot be traced,” the party said.
It maintained that the release of the documents was necessary to establish how public funds were spent and restore public confidence in the evacuation arrangements.
The evacuation expenditure has come under scrutiny amid concerns about the cost of chartered flights and whether the supporting records adequately account for payments to the beneficiaries.
A Daily Guide Report
The post SA Evacuation: More Pressure Mounts On Ablakwa appeared first on DailyGuide Network.