Was Mahama’s Trip In Brother’s Private Jet Declared a Gift to the State? – IMANI Boss Asks
The founding President of the local think tank, IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe, has sought clarification regarding President John Dramani Mahama’s recent trip to Gambia and Senegal aboard his millionaire brother’s private jet.
Though it has been clarified that the private jet has been at the disposal of HE Mahama way before he became President, he seeks to know if the cost of the trip was formally declared as a gift to the state.
He acknowledged, “I choose to believe it given the president’s brother is a generous man and has done some public good in the past with his own money.”
“Can Hon.Kwakye Ofosu tell us if the cost of this visit was classified as a gift to the state and declared, given that the president’s brother is a private citizen?” he enquired in a Facebook post.
According to him, his concerns follow the implications that accompanied a similar favour under the regime of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
“As you are well aware, not long ago, a finance minister under the recently overwhelmingly retired NPP government told us he was not receiving a salary, we believed him and look where it ended us- a debt iceberg, ‘pickpocketing’ miserly savings of innocent and defenceless citizens in the name of debt exchange and the coup de grâce, junk-rated economy.”
Following public outrage over the President’s recent use of private jet for the two trips, his acting spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu noted that the cost of the trip was not borne by citizens.
He indicated that the country’s Presidential jet is currently unavailable as it is undergoing a review by the Communications Squadron of the Air Force unit.
“The most critical point is that this alternative arrangement has not in any way, shape, or form cost the Ghanaian taxpayer a dime. President Mahama is mindful of the precarious economic situation and is committed to utilising public funds prudently,” Kwakye Ofosu stated in an interview with TV3.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
