Minority demands update on Sapeiman gold, cash discovery

The Minority Caucus has called on the government to update the public on the operations that led to the discovery of twelve 20-foot containers filled with gold bars and an unspecified amount of cash in various denominations at a warehouse in Sapeiman in the Ga South Municipality on February 9, this year.

“Nearly two months after this operation, National Security has failed to brief the public on the status of their investigations relating to the culprits behind the billions of gold and cash stashed in the twelve containers and failed to disclose the actual quantity of gold and the specific amount of money retrieved,” the Minority said.

At a news conference held at the Parliament House in Accra yesterday, the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, said the culprits were yet to be identified and prosecuted, and details regarding the exact quantity of gold and cash retrieved remained undisclosed.

“The legitimate question Ghanaians are asking is: Does the government through National Security intend to divert the twelve containers of gold and cash, only to turn around to deceive the public in the end?” Rev. Fordjour queried.

He, therefore, called on the Minister for the Interior, who also oversees National Security, to provide a comprehensive briefing on the status of the investigation and disclose plans for the gold and cash currently in state custody.

He assured the public of the Minority’s commitment to advocating credible communication on the matter.

Airspace

On another security matter related to the country’s airspace, the Minority Caucus called on  National Security 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.

Rev. Fordjour, who is also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin South in the Central Region, alleged that the two flights landed on the tarmac of Kotoka International Airport on March 25, 2025, from Gran Canaria; an island of Spain and departed to the same Gran Canaria days after their arrival.

“Reliable intelligence intercepted by the Minority Caucus indicates that on March 20, 2025, AirMed flight N823AM, which is an air ambulance designed specifically to carry patients, landed at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, and remained in the country for five days before departing at 0100 hours (1 am) on March 25, 2025, back to Gran Canaria,” he said.

“Our intelligence further posits that no patient was transported by the said AirMed flight neither to nor from Accra. There is no evidence of medical referral or patient accompanying or on board the flight on either leg of the flight,” he stated.

“We are reliably informed that contrary to the expectation that the AirMed flight would carry patients, the purpose for which it was designed and operates, it rather on this occasion, carried suspicious cargo suspected to be cocaine and cash in US dollars,” he claimed.

“It is the expectation of the Minority Caucus that transparency in such critical matters of airspace security is upheld in order to assure our citizens of the continued security of our airspace,” Rev. Fordjour added.

Pirate attack

In addition to their security concerns, Rev. Fordjour addressed the March 27, 2025, pirate attack on the Ghanaian-registered fishing vessel MENGXIN 1, which took place in Ghanaian waters.

The Ghana Armed Forces have since launched an investigation, but the Caucus stressed the need for stronger naval capabilities to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“The Caucus urge full-scale investigation into the incident to apprehend the pirates, we call on the government to resource the Ghana Navy with the required complement of Offshore Patrol Vessels to fully equip the Navy to more comprehensively and effectively safeguard our waters,” Rev. Fordjour said.