Former President John Dramani Mahama
Dormaa East Legislator, Paul Apraku Twum Barimah, has filed an urgent question in parliament regarding the cost of former President John Dramani Mahama’s travels when he was the sitting President.
Mr Twum Barimah said the question has become necessary in order to resolve issues surrounding the cost of travels of Presidents of Ghana.
“It is, therefore, important that as a country we look at collectively how we can come together to resolve all these issues.
“I have filed the question to also understand how much it cost this country between 2013 to 2017 when our president [former President Mahama] was on series of travels using chartered flights,” he told Joy News.
This comes at a time North Tongu lawmaker Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has also filed a question on the cost of the recent trip of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Mr Ablakwa had said “The decision to travel particularly to long and multiple destinations such as the president travelling to France, Belgium, South African and back to Ghana especially during this covid time will always require a larger capacity aircraft such as a DBKJ or an aircraft ATJ 319 even when the Falcon is air ready,” the Bimbila lawmaker told Parliament on Wednesday, June 16.
Mr Ablakwa accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of engaging in extravagant travels.
He alleged that Mr Akufo-Addo spent an amount of GHS 2.8 million on his recent travels to only South Africa and France using the services of a private jet.
“The Airbus ACJ320neo owned by Acropolis Aviation based in Farnborough, UK and registered as G-KELT, is the most luxurious and the most expensive in the Acropolis fleet. The manufacturers describe it as the most outstanding ambassador for Airbus Corporate Jets.
“It costs the Ghanaian taxpayer approximately £15,000 an hour when President Akufo-Addo rents it,” he alleged in a post on Facebook.