The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has called on the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to resign immediately over alleged financial irregularities in the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa.
He has also asked President Mahama to terminate the minister’s appointment if he failed to voluntary resign, citing Article 81(a) of the 1992 Constitution.
“Given the gravity of these revelations and in order to ensure an impartial investigation into the matter, we call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to resign immediately,” the Minority Caucus said at a news conference in Accra yesterday.
The caucus said the evacuation exercise cost GH¢49,721,786 according to figures announced by the minister.
It said an examination of documents obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through a request under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989) had revealed discrepancies between the minister’s claims and the payment registers.
According to the Minority, the documents showed duplicated entries, gaps in supporting records and expenditure requiring further explanation.
“Those further enquiries have uncovered additional grave anomalies and disturbing contradictions that deepen our suspicions about the handling of these public funds,” the statement said.
It also cited media investigations, which reportedly uncovered cases of evacuees who did not receive their allowances, duplicate entries, payments recorded without signatures and expenditure for which supporting receipts were unavailable.
“The evidence before us reveals grave financial irregularities, compelling indications of the misapplication of public funds and possible fraud,” the caucus said.
The Minority consequently reiterated its call for a comprehensive independent audit of the evacuation exercise by “an internationally reputable accounting firm with a proven track record and unquestionable integrity.”
It argued that Mr Ablakwa’s handling of the exercise had brought his office into disrepute and cited Section 2.1(j) of President John Dramani Mahama’s 2025 Code of Conduct and Ethics for Political Appointees, which it said required resignation where a minister’s actions or leadership resulted in significant failure, corruption or a breach of public trust.
The caucus further called on President Mahama to terminate the minister’s appointment if he failed to resign, citing Article 81(a) of the 1992 Constitution.
It said it would also consider initiating parliamentary proceedings for a vote of censure against the minister under Article 82 of the Constitution and Order 138 of Parliament’s Standing Orders if he remained in office.
The Minority denied allegations that it had paid or persuaded some evacuees to speak against the government, insisting that it had neither engaged nor paid any of them to do so.
It said some evacuees had spoken voluntarily after learning of differences between what they believed they were entitled to receive and what they actually received.
The caucus also cited media reports that the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria had warned evacuees against speaking to the media, questioning the need for such a warning if the authorities had nothing to hide.
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