The spokesperson for former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has questioned the reported GH¢27 million expenditure on chartered flights during an evacuation exercise overseen by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, demanding that the minister provide documents to justify the cost.
Yaw Opoku Mensah alleged that the flight expenditure formed part of a total GH¢49.7 million cost for the exercise and questioned a GH¢13.5 million difference between the reported bill and his own estimate.
In a statement, he said three batches of flights from Pretoria to Accra, carrying a total of 956 people, should have cost about US$900,000, based on his estimate of US$300,000 per flight.
Using an exchange rate of GH¢15 to US$1, he calculated the cost at GH¢13.5 million, arguing that the figure raised questions about the reported GH¢27 million expenditure.
“Where are the invoices? Where are the charter agreements? Where are the payment records to justify this expenditure?” he asked.
Mr Opoku Mensah called on Mr Ablakwa to provide evidence supporting the expenditure and explain the figures, insisting that public funds must be accounted for.
“Public money is not a minister’s personal purse from his photocopy business, and accountability is not optional,” he said.
He maintained that the minister owed Ghanaians an explanation of the reported costs.