President Mahama’s Use Of Brother Ibrahim Mahama’s Private Jet For Travel Sparks Controversy

President Mahama’s Use Of Brother Ibrahim Mahama’s Private Jet For Travel Sparks Controversy

  • President John Mahama's use of his brother's private jet has prompted some criticism from observers online
  • President Mahama used his brother's jet on an official trip to The Gambia on January 17, 2024
  • The criticism of the president has come on social media and centred around conflict-of-interest concerns

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President John Mahama's use of his brother Ibrahim Mahama's private jet has prompted some criticism from observers online.

The criticism has centred around concerns about conflict of interest.

President Mahama’s Use Of Brother Ibrahim Mahama’s Private Jet For Travel Sparks Controversy
President John Mahama is facing criticism for using his brother's private jet. Source: Ibrahim Mahama
Source: Instagram

The acting spokesperson of the presidency, Felix Ofosu Kwakye, explained that the President was travelling in his brother’s jet because the Ghana Airforce is yet to provide him with reports on the state of the presidential jet and other flights under their mandate.

Kwakye told TV3 that the president would start using the official jet as soon as he was provided with a briefing on the state of the presidential plane.

The president had used the jet on an official trip to The Gambia.

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President John Dramani Mahama has arrived in Banjul, The Gambia.

The president was on a two-country visit to The Gambia and Senegal to thank the Heads of State of the two West African states for their participation in the Presidential inauguration ceremony.

There are suggestions that Mahama is not paying for using the private jet. One of the critics, Aflred Appiah, noted that the cost or lack thereof was not the issue.

"The issue of the president flying in his brother’s private jet isn’t simply about whether it costs the state money. Fundamentally, it raises questions about why a wealthy businessman is offering such a gesture to the president of Ghana. What are his motivations? What does he hope to gain? Would the president, as his brother, feel compelled to reciprocate in the future? And would the president bypass internal controls to do that?"

Ghana's presidency and air travel controversies

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Various presidents have been embroiled in controversies because of private air travel.

When he was president, Nana Akufo-Addo was accused of using a private jet that cost Ghanaian taxpayers $ 14,000 an hour during use.

In 2021, Akufo-Addo was also accused of renting a private jet for € 2.8 million to travel to France, Belgium, and South Africa.

In 2010, then-President Johna Atta Mills was accused of double standards, inaugurating a new presidential jet.

The NDC criticised the Kufuor administration's aircraft order when it was in opposition a few years earlier.

Previous conflict of interest concerns involving Mahama

YEN.com.gh reported that Mahama was cleared of any wrongdoing in the Airbus scandal of 2020, which involved the payment of bribes by an aircraft company.

The investigation, however, cited conflict of interest concerns on the president's part because of his brother's involvement.

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The investigation into the scandal was commenced in February 2020 and concluded in June 2024. Mahama's office welcomed the outcomes.

In February 2020, global aeroplane manufacturing giant Airbus SE was fined £3 billion in penalties after admitting it had paid bribes to land contracts in 20 countries, including Ghana.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Delali Adogla-Bessa avatar

Delali Adogla-Bessa (Current Affairs Editor) Delali Adogla-Bessa is a Current Affairs Editor with YEN.com.gh. Delali previously worked as a freelance journalist in Ghana and has over seven years of experience in media, primarily with Citi FM, Equal Times, Ubuntu Times. Delali also volunteers with the Ghana Institute of Language Literacy and Bible Translation, where he documents efforts to preserve local languages. He graduated from the University of Ghana in 2014 with a BA in Information Studies. Email: delali.adogla-bessa@yen.com.gh.