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Editorial News of Tuesday, 28 September 1999

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The Guide: Shady deal over presidential jet?Castle says "no comments"

The Guide
In a front-page screamer, the Guide observes that as the debate on the presidential jet rages on, there is a stony silence from the government officials about the acquisition of the aircraft.
The paper says the denial by Wings Aviation Inc. of having ever dealt with government officials has forced these officials to ?retreat and re-strategise? on the next step to take to "hoodwink the Ghanaian public on this controversial executive jet".
The Guide notes that the initial defence and explanation by the Finance Minister, Mr Kwame Peprah, allegedly through the Ghana News Agency and published by the Daily Graphic, seem to have lost ground. The paper says there was an emphatic "no comment", to its enquiries from Mr Opoku Acheampong of the Castle Information Bureau on government?s position on the new revelation from Wings Aviation Inc. Mr Opoku Acheampong, the paper says, did not say anything beyond the "my simple answer is no comment" response.
The Guide says the silence from Mr Peprah, who was quoted to have outlined the process of acquisition of the aircraft, is also significant "in this whole shady deal that gives the impression of an attempt by some officers to siphon millions of dollars of the taxpayers money into suspected private pockets".