The Minority in Parliament has called for the immediate resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over alleged financial irregularities in the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa, insisting that GH¢16.4 million remains unaccounted for.
The Minority is also demanding a comprehensive independent audit of the exercise by an internationally reputable accounting firm, warning that it could initiate parliamentary proceedings for a vote of censure against the minister if he remains in office.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, the Minority said its examination of documents provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had revealed discrepancies between the minister’s public statements on the evacuation costs and the records supplied to Parliament.
The minister had announced that the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians cost GH¢49,721,786.
However, the Minority said a request submitted under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2019 (Act 989), for an itemised account of the exercise and supporting documentation raised questions about the number of evacuees, payment records and expenditure.
The group said its review uncovered duplicated entries, missing signatures, gaps in supporting documents and payments that required further explanation.
“The evidence before us reveals grave financial irregularities, compelling indications of the misapplication of public funds and possible fraud,” a representative of the Minority said.
The Minority maintained that it had supported the evacuation as a humanitarian exercise but insisted that the initiative should not be used to justify the improper use of public funds.
“Nobody is saying that it’s a wrong thing to evacuate you. We are not against the evacuation. We support the— in fact, we have even been an advocate of your evacuation,” Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Nana Asafo-Agyei Ayeh said in the transcript.
“So that is not the issue or the bone of contention. We will not sit down and allow your evacuation or the humanitarian activity be a conduit for the ministry to misappropriate our money,” he added.
Disputed documents
The Minority also challenged the adequacy and credibility of additional documentation reportedly provided by the ministry following its initial concerns.
According to Nana Asafo-Agyei Ayeh, the minister had initially indicated that a 200-page document had been made available but subsequently supplied another set of documents, reportedly running into about 300 pages, for further examination.
The Minority said it rejected the additional documents, alleging that some entries and signatures appeared to have been added later.
“We can confidently say that those set of documents were manufactured in the ministry, supervised by the minister,” he alleged.
He further claimed that the documents contained new names, entries and signatures, and argued that the discrepancies required an independent investigation.
The allegations have not been independently established in the material provided for this report. The Minority’s claims about the authenticity of the documents and the conduct of the minister therefore remain allegations requiring investigation.
The group also questioned the reported number of evacuees, saying it had been unable to verify the full figure of 1,964 people from the records it examined.
“We cannot even establish the 1,964. We have found a few of them. The rest of them, for us, they are ghosts,” Nana Asafo-Agyei Ayeh said.
The Minority further cited reports that some evacuees had allegedly not received the allowances recorded against their names, while some payment records lacked signatures and supporting receipts.
It also questioned the cost of the chartered flight used for the evacuation, arguing that the amount announced by the minister required further scrutiny.
The Minority said it believed the discrepancies warranted a full investigation into the expenditure and the processes through which payments were made.
Four demands
The Minority outlined four key demands in response to the alleged irregularities.
First, it reiterated its call for a comprehensive independent audit by an internationally reputable accounting firm.
Second, it demanded that Ablakwa resign immediately, arguing that his handling of the exercise had undermined public confidence in his office.
The group cited Section 2.1(j) of the 2025 Code of Conduct and Ethics for Political Appointees, which it said required resignation in circumstances involving significant failure, corruption or a breach of public trust.
Third, the Minority called on President John Dramani Mahama to terminate the minister’s appointment if he failed to resign.
Finally, it warned that it would consider initiating a parliamentary vote of censure against the minister under Article 82 of the 1992 Constitution and the relevant Standing Orders of Parliament.
The Minority also expressed concern over reports that some evacuees had been cautioned against speaking to the media about the exercise.
It denied claims that it had paid or persuaded evacuees to speak against the government, maintaining that some individuals had spoken voluntarily after comparing what they received with what the ministry reportedly recorded as having been paid to them.
The group said an independent investigation was necessary to establish the facts, account for the expenditure and determine whether any public funds had been misapplied.
