The Member of Parliament for Walewale, Abdul Kabiru Tiah Mahama, has accused President John Dramani Mahama of breaching the Code of Conduct for government appointees by repeatedly using a private jet owned by his brother for official international travel.

Speaking to JoyNews in Parliament, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) legislator said the arrangement raises serious ethical concerns and creates what he described as a “palpable conflict of interest.”

The President is currently on a trip to South Korea and reportedly travelled on a private jet owned by businessman Ibrahim Mahama, his brother.

Dr Tiah Mahama argued that the decision contradicts standards set out in the government’s own code of conduct for public officials.

“The potential conflict of using a private person’s jet for official trips is apparent,” he said. “And now you are not using just any private person, you are using the president’s brother. The palpable conflict of interest is there.”

According to the Walewale MP, public officials, especially the President must avoid situations that could raise questions about ethical conduct or undue advantage.

“If a president must live beyond reproach, people should not see any semblance of unethical consideration in your behaviour,” he stated.

“The fact that the president is using his brother’s aircraft puts him right at the centre of a conflict situation.”

The MP also referenced previous criticism from members of the current administration when they were in opposition regarding the use of aircraft for presidential travel.

He recalled that debates at the time centred on whether Ghana’s presidential jet was serviceable and whether the then government should rely on commercial flights.

“Down the line, the president is found to be doing the very thing they spoke against,” he said.

Mr. Kwakye Ofosu revealed that the Ghana Air Force’s Communications Squadron had officially raised alarms with Cabinet about the presidential aircraft.

Frequent breakdowns, they warned, were not only risky but also hampering military operations. Their solution? Buy a new presidential plane along with additional aircraft for the Air Force.

Cabinet agreed, Parliament gave it the green light, and now the hunt for new planes is officially underway.

The Minister said the plan is meant to save taxpayers money and renting planes can cost up to $18,000 an hour, but using the President’s brother’s jet avoids those high fees.

The government only pays for fuel and landing charges while waiting for the new state plane.

Mr. Kwakye Ofosu rejected claims of a conflict of interest, saying it would only matter if the state already had a safe, working plane.

Since the current presidential jet is unreliable and costly to maintain, using the private jet is a practical and cheaper solution.

The Minister made it clear this is just a temporary fix, designed to let the President travel for official duties without draining the state’s funds, until a new, dependable presidential plane is ready.

He wrapped up by asking the obvious: how could a move meant to save the country money be seen as a problem?