Breaking: Police Shuts Down McDan’s “Mafia” Private Jet Terminal

Latest information from the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) indicates that the private jet terminal that was commissioned by McDan Aviation on the blindside of authorities has been closed down and barricaded by men from the Ghana Police Service.

Daniel McKorley, aka “McDan”, a key financier of the Akufo Addo presidential campaign had hijacked the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) and had built and commissioned a private jet terminal at KIA without any security clearance.

He maintained his disregard for the GACL when he went ahead to inaugurate the terminal despite an official letter written to him by the GACL for him to stop the commissioning of the unsafe terminal.

The GACL had warned that the terminal was built without recourse to safety standards-Plan of Construction Operation (PCO).

On Friday, 28th January 2022, showering praises on President Akufo Addo for his support, McDan went ahead to inaugurate the terminal, with Mr. McKorley stating: “I believe this current government is a business government, and it is supporting us and will support us to make a very big difference and a big impact.”

In its letter dated January 28, 2022, GACL wrote: “We only became aware of your construction activities during routine security patrols, and we had to ask you to stop and submit a PCO for review and approval before construction continued.”

The GACL letter continued: “And then, we only received your request for logistical support…The GACL has noticed with concern your disregard for the norms of doing business in the aviation sector which requires strict adherence to safety and security rules. Indeed, you have engaged in several activities without prior approval from GACL which have typically called for emergency corrective actions.”

Sources tell WhatsUp News that an airport operating license he acquired has since expired and the Ghana Airports Company is not exactly keen on renewing that license for several reasons.

Not only has that, but McDan Aviation’s Fixed Base Simulator license has also not been fully renewed after it expired, Whatsup News heard.

According to information picked up, the GACL’s refusal to renew the license is informed by the fact that among others, McDan Aviation is owing to the Airports Company a whopping Ghc30million in rent and other statutory charges.

The GACL is said to have been asking for payment but the McDan has been eluding the needful debt servicing, something that is said to have seriously affected the finances of the company and its ability to pay workers’ salaries.

Allegedly, another reason that has dissuaded the GACL from handing him a license is that his 15-year-old Bombardier 604 to be used for the private charter service is not properly insured.

Those who have benefited from the flights are mostly government officials and people with connections to the regime, including President Akufo-Addo’s notorious cousin, Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, who is alleged to have been extremely peeved with McDan for flying him recently in the private jet that is not properly insured.

Meanwhile, the Vice President of think-tank, IMANI Ghana, Bright Simons is wondering if the defiance with which McDan Aviation built and commissioned a private jet terminal at the Kotoka International Airport on 28th January 2022, is not stylistic of state capture.

In a post on Facebook, Mr. Simons who is also a technologist referred to the GACL letter, saying: “This is a very interesting letter. All along, I thought McDan was a concessionaire leasing & operating a private jet terminal from GACL. Turns out they are actually a competitor to GACL, which had its own charter jet plans. I am of 2 minds: bold business or state capture?” Bright Simons wrote.

Meanwhile, commenting on Bright Simons’ post, MP for South Dayi, Rockson Nelson Defeamekpor, listed several important rules that McDan’s snobbish defiance of the GACL vandalizes, wondering if things can get worse than this.

“Design remodeling not approved, permit not approved for actual construction works, no GACL supervision to ensure quality standards were met, no certification of actual work done. Can it get worse than this?” he wrote.