Bosome-Freho Member of Parliament Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh has demanded a detailed account of how the GH¢16 million contribution from Engineers & Planners, owned by businessman Ibrahim Mahama, was used in the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.
The Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee said the contribution was important support for Ghanaians in distress but argued that the government must identify the specific evacuation costs covered by the money.
Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, disclosed on September 7 that Engineers & Planners contributed GH¢16 million of the GH¢49.7 million towards the evacuation exercise.
Also read: NPP MP demands full disclosure of procurement records for Ghana’s South Africa evacuation
Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh stressed that he is not questioning the decision by the company to support the evacuation and is not alleging that the contribution was linked to any political favour.
He argued that earlier public reporting had indicated that Engineers & Planners was financing air tickets for Ghanaians returning to Ghana under the second phase of the evacuation.
The final government account, he noted, disclosed the GH¢16 million contribution as an aggregate figure without identifying the specific tickets, passenger batches, airlines, invoices or suppliers associated with the money.
He therefore wants the government to provide a schedule showing exactly how the contribution was applied.
“Which batches and invoices did the GH¢16 million settle? Who received the money? Was payment made directly to airlines, through an intermediary, as reimbursement to Government, or through several transactions?” he asked.
According to him, documentary records should establish whether the contribution was used to pay for commercial flights, other evacuation services or a combination of expenses.
The MP requested an Engineers & Planners GH¢16 million schedule identifying the precise invoices, suppliers, batches or expenditure categories paid and the payment route used.
The demand forms part of a wider request for documents covering the government’s evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa.
The government says the entire evacuation cost GH¢49,721,786, with GH¢33,721,786 funded by the state and GH¢16 million contributed by Engineers & Planners.
He said if the contribution was used to finance airline tickets, the government should identify the relevant passenger batches and invoices without disclosing unnecessary personal information.
The MP said lawful redactions could be made to protect private information, including passengers’ personal and financial details.
“Nobody is asking Government to publish passports, medical diagnoses, bank account numbers or other unnecessary private information,” he said.
“We are asking for enough documentary information to verify the public account.”
The contribution, he said, should therefore be mapped against identifiable invoices, suppliers and expenditure categories and maintained that the issue was one of transparency rather than an attack on the company or its contribution.
“We therefore do not assume how the contribution was ultimately applied. We ask Government to produce the schedule,” he said.
According to Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, a complete documentary reconciliation would help establish how the private contribution fitted into the government’s overall GH¢49.72 million evacuation expenditure.
According to him, the country deserved to know not only the total amount contributed but also the specific services and transactions that the money financed.
“If the books are closed, open the books,” he said.