Did E & P Jet Carry 419 Team To Iran Posing As Top Ghanaian Officials?

Former Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Michael Omari Wadie, is livid that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government is denying any link with a U.S. registered Bombardier Challenger, N604EP jet which nearly caused a diplomatic furore following its landing in Iran.

A report by the New York Times over the weekend stated that a US flagged plane owned by a small community bank in Utah mysteriously parked at Tehran’s airport in Iran. The report further stated the said plane had been leased by a Ghanaian mining company, Engineers and Planners, owned by President John Mahama’s brother.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry is also reported to have claimed that the plane had been used to transport top Ghanaian officials as part of a broader push to expand cooperation between the two countries.

The report sparked a storm in a tea-cup as critics believe Ghana breached international aviation rules because the plane is said to have landed without approval.

Government has vehemently denied any ties with the US plane, and has described the New York Times report as speculative; adding that the President has never used the plane in question.

But reacting to the government’s denial on Okay Fm’s Ghana Decides program, Omari Wadie posited that the stance of the NDC government gives room to suggest that Engineers and Planners’ plane carried some fraudsters to Iran posing as top Ghanaian officials.

He added that the speculation has aggravated as a result of the fact that the purpose of the visit to Iran remain unknown to Ghanaians.

“The Iran Foreign Minister who received the delegation said they were top Ghanaian officials as part of a broader push to expand cooperation between the two countries…how come the NDC is now saying there were no government officials among the delegation?……Or were they 419 people carried out to Iran?….that means the plane carried some 419 people to Iran who posed as top Ghanaian officials; is Engineers and Planners now a 419 company which carry people pretending to be top Ghanaian officials?” he quizzed.