Minority’s Appeal To Diplomatic Community Over AirMed ‘Cocaine’ Scandal Will End Nowhere – Yaw Asani Tano

Yaw Asani Tano has described as “needless” the request by the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, for the intervention of the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Lebanese Ambassador to Ghana, Maher Kheir, to help in unravelling the growing controversy surrounding the Gran Canaria flights scandal.

Jinapor’s appeal, made on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, was presented on behalf of the Minority Caucus of the Committee amidst the growing concerns over the aircraft scandal as Assin South MP, Rev. Ntim Fordjour has alleged two flights, an air ambulance named AirMed N823AM and a private jet landed at the Kotoka International Airport suspiciously conveying narcotics and cash.

The aircraft, according to checks, spent days in the country before departing from the airport.

The planes, AirMed N823AM and Cavok Air’s Antonov An-12B, a cargo plane, arrived from Gran Canaria, Spain, and allegedly departed on the same day, March 25, 2025, to the same destination.

Jinapor underscored the importance of collaboration between Ghana’s security and intelligence agencies and the diplomatic community to unearth the truth.

Request

Abu Jinapor’s request contained in an official statement read that on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, the Minority Caucus in Parliament, through its Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, Hon. John Ntim Fordjour, held a press conference and called on the national security apparatus to “as a matter of urgency, make public the content of cargo suspected to be cocaine and cash, transported into the country by two suspicious flights namely AirMed flight N823AM and Cavok Air private jet, Antonov An-12B which landed on the tarmac of Kotoka International Airport in March 2025, from Gran Canaria; an island of Spain and departed to the same Gran Canaria days after their arrival”.

The caucus further stated that “its intelligence indicates that the AirMed flight, which operates as an air ambulance, had no patient on board when it landed in Accra, and departed after five (5) days to Gran Canaria without any patient. On the same day the AirMed flight departed Accra for Gran Canaria, the Cavok flight, which had been in the country for thirteen (13) days, also departed to the same destination, with both flights suspected to be carrying undisclosed cargo”.

It further read that “illicit drug trade and money laundering are serious transnational organised crimes that require the cooperation of Governments to successfully fight them. This is evident in the number of treaties, conventions and resolutions that have been made and adopted by the international community to deal with these crimes. Ghana, as a respected member of the international community, is party to several of these international treaties and conventions which impose an obligation on us to fight these crimes”.

Pointing out the impact of this scandal on Ghana’s image, Abu Jinapor said; “Diplomatically, Ghana’s global reputation as a respected member of the international community, and a reliable partner in the fight against transnational organised crime, would be tarnished, leading to diplomatic isolation or strained relations.

 “Economically, our country risks losing direct foreign investment, arising from fear of insecurity and instability of investment, as well as economic sanctions and restrictions from other countries and organisations. Politically, the country may be exposed to security threats from organised crime groups, which may lead to a breakdown in law and order, and undermine our country’s stability.”

Diplomatic Intervention

Calling for an urgent diplomatic intervention, Jinapor noted that “while we recognise the need for the Diplomatic Community not to appear to be interfering in the internal affairs of our country, matters of transnational organised crime, particularly, involving illicit traffic of drugs and money-laundering, have serious effects, not only on our country, but on global security and peace. It is for this reason that the various Conventions and Treaties earlier referenced, enjoin us all to work with other States to prevent these crimes, including providing mutual legal assistance, and the sharing of intelligence”. 

He further argued that “without a doubt, we cannot be successful in combating these transnational crimes if we fail to investigate allegations such as this”, therefore noting that “it is only through investigations that we can establish the veracity or otherwise of such allegations, and where appropriate, prosecute offenders to serve as deterrent to others. It is, also, through such investigations that we can gather credible intelligence to prevent these crimes”.

Listing what the Minority specifically expects from the diplomatic community, he urged them to “share with the Ghanaian security authorities any intelligence you may have on the aircrafts and flights concerned; facilitate the deployment of the security apparatus of your respective countries to collaborate with the Ghanaian security authorities in any future investigations; assist the Ghanaian State, through her arms of Government, generally, and Parliament in particular, to avoid the undesirable, unenvious and dangerous reputation of a drug State” and “encourage, through diplomatic channels, the Ghanaian Government to establish, pursuant to article 278 of Ghana’s Constitution, a Commission of Inquiry to make a full, faithful and impartial inquiry into the matter of the flights allegedly carrying illicit drugs and money”.

He also appealed to the “diplomatic community to take keen interest in the protection of the independence of Ghana’s Parliament in the exercise of its oversight responsibility, and most especially, the safety and protection of the whistleblower, the Hon. John Ntim Fordjour, Member of Parliament for Assin South, and Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, as well as other Members of Parliament, in the sacred discharge of their duties as Members of Parliament”.

Yaw Asani Tano Jabs Jinapor

But to Yaw Asani Tano, a socio-political analyst, this “writing to diplomatic whatever, I think, it will not end anywhere because those people will not come and interfere in your matters that you have brought upon yourself”.

He questioned how the Minority anticipates that the diplomatic community will intrude in Ghana’s internal affairs, asking “what investigation do you want them to do?”

He made this remark on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” morning show.

 

Source: Ghmessenger.com