Government spent $140, 000 to fly Adwoa Safo in to vote in Parliament – Ablakwa
Controversy surrounding Adwoa Sarfo’s absence in Parliament continues to deepen as this time around the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has given the lawmaker for Dome Kwabenya Adwoa Sarfo a three-day ultimatum to come out clear on the circumstances that led to her being flown via a private jet into the country to participate in the last session of Parliament.
The North Tongu legislator further alleged that the cost of hiring such a jet cost government cost $140,000 dollars.
According to the legislator, this cost is thus unjustified and needs to be probed by the Special Prosecutor.
“You need $140, 000 to rent the HBQ, that is $4,800 per hour. Why then are we only concerned about GHS120,000, which is far lesser an amount, and we don’t seem to be interested in the $140,000. At today’s interest rate, that is about GHS948,500, almost a million, that is a huge sum.”
“If we sum the two amounts, we are looking at an excess of GHS1 million, which has been spent on one person, just because she is needed to vote on the E-levy. The question is where are we getting thee monies from especially at a time government says the economy is struggling?
Madam Adwoa Sarfo has in recent times faced backlash from her colleagues in the Majority caucus due to her constant absence from the house to the discharge of her duties in the legislature since it commenced sitting.
Her frustrated colleagues lament, that she is holding them to ransom especially with recourse to the numbers they need to pass the controversial E-levy.
Further probe to the reason for her absence led to her colleagues revealing that she was requesting to be made the Deputy Majority Leader, a position she held in the previous Parliament and has thus stayed away due to her party’s failure to yield to her demands.
Though overlooked, she and her party stand in a precarious position with regards to the seat as per stipulations of the constitution a legislator who fails to attend to attend parliamentary proceedings for 15 days risks being hauled before the privileges committee and the seat being declared vacant.
