Evacuation expenditure: ‘This cannot be reduced to human error’ – Abu Jinapor

Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, has dismissed claims that oversights in the government’s spending on evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa may be due to human error. Addressing the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) 'Yɛgye Yɛn Sika' rally, Jinapor defended the Minority’s investigation into the expenditure records, asserting that it could not be dismissed as mere administrative blunders.

He highlighted that Ghana had previously conducted numerous evacuation missions, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, emphasizing that these earlier exercises had been meticulously documented. "We have had evacuations before. We had evacuations in respect of the Ukraine war. There have been evacuations with respect to COVID, and there’s been a lot of evacuations in Ghana," Jinapor stated.

The Minority Committee pointed out several potential irregularities, including duplicate entries, repeated signatures, suspect dates of birth, and suspicions over the cost of a chartered plane. These discrepancies, Jinapor claimed, total more than GH¢16 million in unaccounted expenses. "This cannot be reduced to human error. It is absolutely objectionable," he insisted.

Jinapor reiterated that the demonstration sought to demand accountability and recover the alleged GH¢16 million, which could have been utilized for crucial social services, such as schools and clinics.