NPP lying to Ghanaians

...about ownership of Gulfstream aircraft At long last, the myth surrounding the ownership of the Presidential Gulfstream aircraft, which top New Patriotic Party (NPP) officials maliciously claim ownership was unknown and which lease fee they were not paying, has been broken with Mr J.H. Mensah, Senior Minister, having discussions with them.

The meeting, which took place in Accra over a year ago, was between the government of Ghana, represented by Mr Mensah and Mr Edward Bullen, Project and Export Manager of HSBC, representing the owners of the aircraft. During the discussions, Gulfstream’s agents, Transair Traders, threatened to use Ghana’s United Nations Peace-Keeping foreign account with the HBSC bank to defray the cost, if the Ghana government would not release the aircraft to them.

Mr Bullen, in a letter dated 26 July 2001, addressed to Mr Mensah and copied to the Attorney-General (AG) and Minister of Justice Nana Akufo Addo said following the earlier discussion with the Senior Minister on the aircraft, the owners would like to take the aircraft back.

The letter said, “If the government was not interested in the purchase of the aircraft, it should be delivered back to them.” It said, in view of the economic situation and failure to be paying for the lease cost, Transair Traders would like to take back the aircraft as quickly as possible to save cost. According to the letter, Ghana has $15,997,641.93 in her UN Peace-Keeping account with the HSBC bank, the same bank that Transair Traders, owners of the Aircraft also keeps its account.

It said, the amount outstanding on the lease as at 29 October 2001 was $9,844,788.88 and interest on lease principal due 29 October 2001 was $244,375.01 giving a total of $10,089,163.89.

While the balance of funds held on the government of Ghana’s deposit account as at 30 October 2001 was $15,993,641.93. The owners of the Aircraft had recommended in the letter that they proceed with the sale of the aircraft immediately and if the Ghana government agrees, they should sign a sales Agency Agreement attached to the letter and deliver the aircraft to Gulfstream’s facility in Savannah, Georgia.

The letter said the transaction as proposed by Transair Traders, if accepted, the net position of government of Ghana’s deposit account would have an opening balance of $15,993,641.93, add present estimated cost of aircraft $9,000,000.00, less outstanding lease principal which is $10,089,163.49 This will leave the Ghana government with a surplus balance of $4,500,000.00, which according to Transair traders, would be returned to the account of the Ghana Peacekeeping mission account at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, the account from which the original deposit was paid.