E-Levy: Ablakwa Accuses Government Of Spending GHC948k To Fly Adwoa Safo To Vote

• It has emerged that apart from the GH¢120,000 allegedly deposited into the account of Dome Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo, more money was spent to fly her in from the US
• MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says another GH¢948,500 was spent on the absentee MP
• He has joined the call for the Special Prosecutor to look into all the money spent by the government to fly in Adwoa Safo allegedly to shore up the Majority’s numbers for the E-Levy Bill vote

Apart from the GH¢120,000 allegedly deposited secretly into the account of absentee MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo, it has emerged that the government spent a whopping GH¢948,500 to fly in the lawmaker from the US.

Opposition MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in a post made on Facebook, has revealed that apart from the GH¢120,000 that the MP for the governing NPP alleged that he was made to pay to the MP, a lot more money was paid to airlift her to Ghana.

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“It is surprising that the focus of many including Civil Society Organisations in the series of Adwoa Asafo revelations has been on the alleged GHS120,000.00 transfer into her bank account from the Chief of Staff. The cost of the private jet used to ferry her from the USA to Ghana which is much higher than the GHS120,000.00 cannot be ignored.

“We now know that a Gulfstream G-550 registered HB-JOE and operated by Premium Jet AG based in Belgium was the executive aircraft chartered to bring in Hon. Adwoa Safo for her vote on the obnoxious E-Levy. It cost US$4,800 an hour to rent the HB-JOE.

“With an 11-hour flight distance, payment of reposition fees (as it flew from Belgium to pick her up in the States), payment of one-way fees (as the business jet flies back home empty), crew per diem fees, landing and wait-time fees; it cost a staggering US$140,000.00. At today's exchange rate, that is GHS948,500.00,” the North Tongu MP posted on Facebook on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.

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He also called on the Office of the Special Prosecutor to look into the entire GH¢1,068,500 expenditure for “Adwoa Safo's E-Vote” and not only the GHS120,000 deposited in her account.

The Dome Kwabenya MP has been absent from Parliament for many months. She made a brief appearance on December 1, 2022, but has remained absent from the Legislature since then.

Last week, MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong – who has openly criticised Adwoa Safo for deliberately absenting herself from Parliament – made a surprise revelation that as part of efforts to get the Dome Kwabenya MP back in Parliament, the Chief of Staff directed him to deposit GH¢120,000 into her bank account.

This revelation sparked massive condemnation, with calls on the Special Prosecutor to investigate the claim.

A hung Parliament of 137 MPs each for both the governing NPP and opposition NDC compels the government to get the absentee MP in at all cost to vote on key bills – one of which is the controversial E-Levy Bill.

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First Batch Of Ghanaian Students Arrive Safely From Ukraine

Meanwhile, some Ghanaian students who were in Ukraine prior to the Russian invasion of the European country have safely arrived in Ghana following an evacuation exercise.

In a new video sighted by YEN.com.gh on the Instagram page of news outlet Adom TV, the students were met by many people at Ghana's Kotoka International Airport.

Among those who welcomed the students safely into the country included parents, government officials and members of the press.

Source: YEN.com.gh