North Tongu legislator, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has responded to the Communication Director at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, regarding the Presidential jet.
According to Mr. Ablakwa, the Communication Director at the Presidency’s response to his earlier claims confirms his revelations about the presidential jet.
In a Facebook post, on Friday, 9 September 2022, the North Tongu legislator noted that: “The Ghana Presidency today has confirmed the following: that Ghana’s presidential jet has indeed been flown nonstop from Accra to Paris on August 30, 2022, as I put out.”
The North Tongu legislator noted that “government consistently deceived Ghanaians when they claimed that Ghana’s Presidential jet was no longer fit for direct flights beyond 6 hours to destinations such as France, Belgium, UK and the Netherlands.”
He indicated that: “This therefore further exposes the unjustified and unconscionable profligate €20,000 an hour oligarchic charters which have so far cost the suffering tax payer more than GHS34 million.”
Mr Ablakwa, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, 7 September, had said: “I disclose with absolute certainty and without fear of contradiction that a few days before President Akufo-Addo’s current travel to The Netherlands and France, Ghana’s Presidential Jet — the Falcon 900EX was on Tuesday August 30, 2022, flown non-stop to France for a flight time of 6hours and 24minutes from Accra.”
The North Tongu legislator continued that: “It is instructive to note that contrary to what Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin, would want us believe as per his earlier claims that the Presidential Jet is no longer fit to fly direct beyond 6 hours— a dubious claim which now stands discredited; the Presidential Jet on this latest trip was flown direct or non-stop for 6hours and 24minutes to Paris, France.”
Reacting to the claims by the North Tongu legislator, the Communications Director at the Presidency urged the North Tongu legislator in a statement issued on Thursday, 8 September, 2022, “to minimise his penchant for engaging in propaganda regarding the Presidential Jet, to avoid further embarrassments to his person.”
The statement emphasised that: “Indeed, the Presidential Jet departed Ghana on 30th August, to France for major repair works to be carried out on it – repair works which are very much long overdue. The Air Force has indicated that the Presidential Jet will be out of service for a total of four (4) months, and will return to Ghana and be available for use in December.”
“In view of this, how Hon. Ablakwa expects President Akufo-Addo to return to Ghana on Saturday, 10th September, from his current trip to the Netherlands and France on board the Presidential Jet, which is undergoing major repair works and is scheduled to return to Ghana in December, beats my imagination,” the statement added.
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