The Minority in Parliament has linked President John Mahama’s use of brothers’ private jet controversy to alleged irregularities in the Damang mine acquisition process and warned of potential breaches of procurement laws.
According to the caucus, the President’s use of a private jet owned by his brother, Ibrahim Mahama, cannot be separated from ongoing business interests tied to the state, particularly bids relating to the Damang mine.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, March 26, the Minority Spokesperson on Lands and Natural Resources, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, cited Article 284 of the 1992 Constitution, which prohibits public officials from placing themselves in situations where personal interests conflict with their official duties.
He argued that the arrangement raises serious ethical questions, particularly at a time when companies linked to the President’s brother are actively pursuing state contracts.
“The President’s brother is not a stranger with no stakes in the state. He is a businessman with significant existing and prospective state contracts, currently bidding to acquire Ghana’s most commercially significant gold mine — the Damang mine,” he stated.
The Minority contends that the provision of private air travel by such an individual constitutes a form of benefit that could compromise public decision-making.
“The provision of substantial travel benefits by such a person to the President who controls the levers of the state is precisely the relational conflict that CHRAJ jurisprudence should prohibit,” he added.
They further argued that the arrangement may breach the President’s own code of conduct for political appointees, which sets a gift threshold and restricts the acceptance of benefits from individuals with vested interests in government decisions.
“The value of the waived aircraft rental fees on even a single international flight exceeds that threshold many times over,” he said.
On the Damang mine process, the Minority alleged attempts to manipulate procurement outcomes in favour of specific entities, including Engineers and Planners, and called for an immediate halt to the process.
“We call for the immediate publication of the full bidding documentation, including the date of formal tender initiation, the criteria, the tender committee’s composition, and the evaluation methodology,” Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong said.
The caucus also demanded the full disclosure of the beneficial ownership of all bidding entities and the recusal of any officials with prior professional or financial ties to companies involved in the process.
“We are asking for the mandatory recusal of any Minerals Commission official with professional or financial connections to Engineers and Planners, Gold Fields, or any bidding entity,” he stressed.
The Minority further called for a freeze on all pre-award activities related to Engineers and Planners until a transparent and legally compliant procurement process is completed. It also wants a full parliamentary briefing before any final decision is taken.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com