Accra:The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has given Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa a seven-day deadline to provide comprehensive documentation accounting for GHS49 million reportedly spent on evacuating 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa due to xenophobic violence.
According to Ghana Web, the NPP claims discrepancies exist between the expenditure figures presented by the ministry and the documents provided. Dennis Miracles Aboagye, the NPP National Communication Director, addressed the media, emphasizing the need for a complete set of financial and operational records. These records should include invoices for chartered flights, receipts, payment vouchers, distribution records, and a list of evacuees with evidence of payments made to each individual.
The party has raised concerns that some evacuees cannot be traced in the current records, casting doubt on whether the reported expenditures are fully accountable. They insist Minister Ablakwa should supply documentary evidence for every transaction instead of relying on media appearances and verbal assurances.
Furthermore, the NPP has questioned the minister's claim that all relevant documents were available, pointing out that these should have been included in the ministry's response to a Right to Information (RTI) request. The party has called for the submission of these documents to both the RTI Commission and Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee for independent scrutiny.
The NPP stresses that their demand aims to verify the proper use of funds and ensure that all beneficiaries and payments are legitimate. While acknowledging the necessity of protecting Ghanaians affected by xenophobic violence, they maintain that the humanitarian nature of the evacuation does not exempt the government from the responsibility of accounting for public funds.