Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu
The Global Security for Africa, Research and Good Governance (GLOSARGG) has called on President Akufo-Addo to sack the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu from government for his involvement in the Sputnik V vaccine procurement deal.
This comes after the Ad-hoc Committee of Parliament set up to investigate the unsuccessful procurement of the vaccine by the Health Ministry, released a report of its findings and recommendations.
In portions of the report, the Committee said it discharged its mandate by “diligently” examining the two agreements as well as “written and oral evidence on the subject within the parameters of the seven terms of reference and the timelines given by the house”.
The Committee said it found that the Ministry of Health did not comply with the requirements of Article 181 (5) of the Constitution in respect of its agreement with Dubai-based Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, the middleman from whom the government of Ghana tried procuring 300,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Al Maktoum has refunded $2,470,000 to Ghana’s coffers after the deal fell through.
Sheikh Al Maktoum, according to a correspondence via which he communicated the refund to the government of Ghana, said no money was drawn under the letter of credit, which, he noted, expired as of June 2021.
Sheikh Al Maktoum says he is expecting a payment receipt once the funds hit the country’s account.
But a statement issued by the GLOSARGG on Friday, 13 August 2021 indicated that they are “profoundly disgusted in the alacritous and constant siphoning and embezzlement of the taxpayer’s money with impunity by the majority of some opportune officials appointed to lead the affairs of the nation Ghana”.
The statement continued: “The President of the nation, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo refuses to live to his auto-set expectation vis-à-vis his “political preachings” prior to his ascendancy to the highest throne of the country on how he would have magically unravelled the ‘flood and tsunami’ of corruption that has devastated this nation while subjecting the unprivileged masses to wallow in abject poverty.
“It is so disgusting and decapitating on the part of H.E.President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo to still keep the Minister of Health at post despite his unmerciful breach of the procurements law, all in the name of buying Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, which is in a sharp contradiction to the President’s own famous words: “I shall protect the public purse by insisting on value for money in all public transactions. Public service is just that — service and not an avenue for making money. Money is to be made in the private sector, not the public. Measures will be put in place to ensure this,” he said. “State coffers, he said, were not spoils for the party that won an election but resources for the country’s social and economic development”.
The statement further stated that “While comfortably hiding behind the ravages of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Health Minister has ‘faithfully’ breached any laid down procurements laws stipulated by the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, that is Public Procurement Act, Act 663, as amended by the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act 914”.
GLOSARGG, therefore, joined the number of Ghanaians clamouring for Mr Agyeman-Manu to be stripped off his position as Health Minister.
“As faithful adherent of Good governance, GLOSARGG unreservedly throws its unwavering weight behind all well-meaning Ghanaians that the Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu must resign or be fired and prosecuted for the disarray he has caused this nation…”
GLOSARGG demanded that the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is also punished for his involvement in the Sputnik-V procurement deal.
“In furtherance, we demand that his expulsion must hook the Finance Minister Ofori-Atta for a wrongful release of a taxpayer’s funds to pay for an illegal deal,” the statement noted.