The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has demanded a full account of the GH¢49.72 million reportedly spent on the evacuation and reintegration of 1,964 Ghanaians who fled xenophobic violence in South Africa, raising questions about flight costs, payment records and financial documentation.
In a statement issued by the party’s National Communications Director, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, the NPP called on the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to produce supporting documents to reconcile the expenditure, insisting that public explanations and presentations were insufficient without verifiable records.
The party said it welcomed the safe return of the evacuees, expressed condolences over the deaths of Bashiru Issahaq, Kwadwo Antwi, Amoonu Jailor Nash and Ebenezer Ayi Tawiah, and acknowledged the support provided by churches, companies, public agencies and individuals.
However, it maintained that questions remained about how the funds were spent and whether the expenditure could be fully verified.
“Ghana did not ask the Minister for an explanation. Ghana asked for an account,” Mr Aboagye said, arguing that invoices, receipts, contracts, payment vouchers and signed beneficiary records were necessary to establish how the money was used.
NPP questions GH¢27.18m charter flight expenditure
The party identified the reported GH¢27.18 million spent on chartered flights as one of its principal concerns, describing the amount as approximately 55 per cent of the total evacuation expenditure.
According to the NPP, documents it attributed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not include invoices, contracts, or the name of the charter operator to support the expenditure.
The party further alleged that three charter flights operated by Ethiopian Airlines may have cost significantly more than the prevailing industry rates. It claimed that the Ministry’s documents put the cost of each flight at US$750,000, while its own checks suggested that comparable charter flights could cost between US$180,000 and US$300,000.
The NPP questioned the basis for the reported charges and called on the Foreign Affairs Minister to publish the original invoices for the three flights.
It also raised questions about the reported involvement of an intermediary identified as Mr Vanderpuye, including allegations that fresh invoices had been requested months after the flights were completed.
The party further sought clarification over an alleged US$10,000 payment involving the Minister’s bodyguard and asked whether the individual had been dismissed in connection with the matter.
These claims have been raised by the NPP and require verification through the relevant financial records and responses from the parties concerned.
Party raises concerns over evacuee payment records
The NPP also challenged the Ministry’s reported claim that all 1,964 evacuees received GHS 5,000 and an additional GHS 500 allowance.
According to the party’s analysis of documents it said were supplied by the Ministry, the records contained approximately 1,001 signatures for the GH¢500 allowance and 1,508 entries relating to the GH¢5,000 payment.
The party said a name-by-name comparison showed that only 824 beneficiaries appeared on both lists.
Based on those figures, the NPP argued that the documentation provided did not establish that all 1,964 evacuees received the full GHS 5,500 in payments and allowances.
It estimated that GH¢6.27 million relating to 1,140 beneficiaries remained unsupported by corresponding signatures for both payments.
The party also questioned the reported GH¢10.802 million expenditure on reintegration and transportation, saying the figure was exactly equivalent to multiplying the 1,964 evacuees by GH¢5,500.
It argued that the Ministry needed to provide evidence of actual disbursements rather than relying solely on calculations based on the number of evacuees.
NPP questions discrepancies in ASKY documents
The party cited what it described as discrepancies between an ASKY invoice and a receipt included in the Ministry’s documentation.
According to the NPP, both documents carried the reference number KP/GO9/05/09/26/001 and were dated September 5, 2026.
However, the party said the invoice stated US$79,727, while the receipt showed US$89,918, representing a difference of US$10,191.
It also alleged that the documents indicated a US$13,000 payment for 50 passengers who did not board the flight.
The NPP called on the Ministry to explain the difference between the two figures and clarify the basis for the payment relating to the passengers who reportedly did not travel.
The party further alleged that two versions of a letter inviting the Auditor-General to review the evacuation expenditure contained different wording about the records the Ministry could provide.
It said one version referred to all records within the Ministry’s purview, while another referred to records the Ministry was able to produce.
The NPP argued that the differences required clarification, including confirmation of which version was received by the Auditor-General.
GHS 16m company contribution under scrutiny
Another issue raised by the party concerns a reported GH¢16 million contribution from Engineers & Planners.
The NPP said a letter from the Minister thanked the company for a cash donation of GHS 16 million, while the Ministry’s response to a Right to Information (RTI) request reportedly described the contribution as direct purchases of airline tickets and reintegration support.
The party questioned whether the contribution was made in cash or through purchases and, if the latter, how the transactions were documented.
It further claimed that the airline receipts it had examined accounted for approximately GH¢9.4 million, leaving questions about the remaining GH¢6.6 million.
The NPP called for a detailed breakdown of the contribution, including supporting receipts and records showing how the funds or purchases were applied.
Party flags concerns over beneficiary registers
The NPP also raised questions about the quality and completeness of beneficiary registers it attributed to the Ministry.
It alleged that some entries for children recorded as minors contained signatures, while some dates of birth listed in the records were in 2032 and 2036.
The party also claimed that some entries did not contain signatures.
It argued that the anomalies needed to be investigated to establish whether they resulted from clerical errors, data-entry problems or other issues affecting the accuracy of the payment records.
The NPP said the concerns were based on documents it identified as the Ministry’s RTI response dated September 18, 2026, a report submitted to Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and accompanying annexes.
The contents and interpretation of those documents, as well as the allegations arising from them, require examination alongside the Ministry’s explanations and any subsequent audit findings.
NPP rejects Minister’s explanations
The party criticised Mr Ablakwa’s public responses to the controversy, arguing that the documents presented so far had not resolved the discrepancies it identified.
It said the Minister’s assertion that all relevant documents and signed sheets were available did not answer questions about beneficiaries whose payments, according to the NPP, were not fully supported by the records supplied.
The party also rejected the suggestion that beneficiaries could be contacted to confirm whether they received their payments, saying its central concern was the absence of corresponding records for some of the people included in the reported total.
It called for the publication of the complete list of 1,964 evacuees, together with evidence of payments made to each individual, and proposed that an independent firm verify the records.
The NPP further disputed the suggestion that the Minority in Parliament had misunderstood the documents, maintaining that the alleged discrepancies could be identified directly from the records.
NPP gives the government seven days to provide records
The party has outlined five demands and given the Ministry seven days to produce the documents it says are necessary to account for the expenditure.
Its demands include the release of all charter flight invoices and contracts, payment vouchers, signed beneficiary sheets and the full list of evacuees with proof of payment against each name.
It has also called for the identification of the charter operator and disclosure of the process used to select the service provider under the Public Procurement Act.
Additionally, the NPP wants the Ministry to clarify whether Engineers & Planners provided GH¢16 million in cash or through direct purchases, explain the differences in the ASKY documents, and publish the version of the Auditor-General invitation letter that was officially received.
The party is also calling for an independent audit by a firm of international standing, with the terms of reference and findings made public.
Although it welcomed the Auditor-General’s involvement, the NPP said it wanted a review that would comprehensively address the concerns raised.
If the demands are not met, the party said it would support its Minority in pursuing the matter in Parliament, formally petition the Auditor-General to prioritise the evacuation expenditure, pursue further remedies under the Right to Information Act and continue pressing for answers.
NPP urges Ablakwa to provide documentary evidence
In concluding the statement, Mr Aboagye argued that the Minister should be held to the same accountability standards he demanded of previous governments while in opposition.
He said the controversy should not undermine the dignity of the Ghanaians who fled xenophobic violence or public confidence in the management of state resources.
The NPP maintained that the safe return of the evacuees and the need to account for public expenditure were separate issues, insisting that the humanitarian nature of the operation did not remove the obligation to document how the money was spent.
The central question, the party said, was whether the GH¢49.72 million expenditure could be reconciled with complete and verifiable financial records.
The allegations and discrepancies cited by the NPP have yet to be independently established through the complete set of records and audit findings. The Foreign Affairs Ministry’s response to the specific claims, including the flight costs, beneficiary payments and company contribution, is necessary to provide a comprehensive account of the evacuation expenditure.
