Former Interior Minister, Henry Quartey, has dismissed allegations that the Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration purchased three obsolete helicopters for the Ghana Police Service.
He explained that during the transition of power, members of the transition team were thoroughly briefed on the acquisition process and advised to verify the details with the Police Service.
According to him, existing records contradict the claims making rounds in the media.
“Sometimes that is why I don’t speak, because I recall very well that when the transition team came, I was in office,” he said. “I took them through all the process and I asked them to go to the Ghana Police Service and make enquiries. So, I want to believe that the truth is out there.”
Quartey stressed that the conversation around the helicopters’ age and specifications has been unnecessarily politicised.
“This media game about the age of the helicopter and all that, I don’t think that is what is important. If you want to go into it, then you have to start doing comparisons. And my fear is that we cannot do politics with security. That’s all I’m saying,” he cautioned.
He further clarified that the helicopters were procured solely for operational purposes and not for luxury.
“In any case, those choppers were not brought in for fun. Some of them carry four, some of them carry two or three. It was for, you know, when you watch films, sometimes somebody’s running away, there’s a chopper following—those things,” he explained.
While emphasizing that no evidence of wrongdoing has been established, the former minister warned against sensationalising the matter.
“Really and truly, that is not to suggest that some wrongful acts have been committed. But I’m saying that these things look, we have a country to build. If we subject ourselves to this kind of government go, government come, then the country cannot move forward,” he noted.
The Akufo-Addo government announced the acquisition of three helicopters in 2021 to enhance the operational capacity of the Ghana Police Service.
At the time, then-Interior Minister Ambrose Dery stated that the aircraft—two smaller types and one larger model—were to be stationed at the Police Air Wing Unit to support surveillance, rapid deployment and internal security operations.
