Mahama chartered flights - NPP MP files urgent question to demand cost
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Dormaa East, Mr Paul Apraku Twum Barimah, has filed an urgent question in Parliament to demand the cost of chartered flights that former President John Mahama used for his overseas travels from 2013 and 2017.
He said the question, which was directed to the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Attah, would help him and Ghanaians to seek data to support ongoing discussions in the public domain concerning presidential chartered flights by the former president.
Advertisement
“I have filed the question to also understand how much it cost this country between 2013 to 2017 when former President Mahama was on series of travels using chartered flights,” he said.
No equalisation
Throwing light on his aim for filing the urgent question, which is currently in the Speaker’s Office, Mr Barimah said his question had no political connotation.
“It is about time we took a decision as a country on chartered presidential flights and we can only take such decision when we know the trend, which must be established from what has been done previously.
“Has there been a precedence? And if there is a precedence, what was done? And is there an official guideline to these presidential travels? So clearly, I do not want to achieve any political equalisation,” he said.
He added: “I only want us to have a proper debate and discourse so that we can make proper references. Today, it might be my government but tomorrow it will be somebody’s government, so if we do not seek proper clarification and end these back and forth travels, we will always find ourselves in this situation,” he stated.
Ablakwa’s urgent question
The Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, also filed an urgent question in Parliament demanding that the government explains why President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo did not use the presidential aircraft for a recent trip to France.
According to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP), "It is an outrage and a blatant betrayal for Ghana to own a presidential aircraft in perfect working condition" and charter aircraft for presidential travel.”
He also estimated that the President's trip cost in excess of GH¢2 million.
