Calls Deepen for Health Minister’s Criminal Trial Over Perjury In Russian Sputnik V Vaccine

A private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, thinks that Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, has been untruthful with Parliament over the government’s controversial arrangement to have Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine supplied to the country and wants the law to take him on.

Appearing on Accra-based Joy FM’s Newsfile talk show, Mr. Kpebu said the Health Minister essentially perjured himself when he told Parliament that the government had not paid a dime over the supply of Sputnik by middlemen Messrs Al Maktoom.

Several other critics agree with Mr. Kpebu, including Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, the Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guild Newspaper, and a lackey of the Jubilee House, who described the Agyeman-Manu’s handling of the Russian vaccine as a “disaster”. 

“A disaster. Unmitigated disaster. One has to be brutally frank. No cabinet approval, no Public Procurement Board approval, no Parliamentary approval. It is a mess. Look, it is difficult. I like the minister. He is such a gentleman but we are not talking about personality here. I’m being honest. If he is minded to step aside, I will endorse it. You cannot defend this”, said Mr. Kweku Baako as he analysed the development on Joy News.

All of these calls for the head of the Health Minister is coming in the heels of revelations by a nine-member Parliamentary Committee that contrary to the Minister’s claim that he did not pay any money in the fraudulent deal, huge public funds actually changed hands.

“The contract he signed means that payment was to be made soon after the 20,000 vaccines were delivered so on what basis could the Minister go to Parliament to say that nothing has been paid? Is Al Maktoum Father Christmas that he will give you vaccines and not receive payment?” Kpebu questioned.

“That is why I believe we have to press the issue of perjury very hard because Agyeman-Manu is not leaving and they have to make the law bite. I want citizens to join me so that we will present a joint petition to Parliament so that he will be tried for perjury,” he said.

The probe by the nine-member committee revealed 50% of the contract sum, an amount of $2,850,000 out of $5,700,000 had been paid by the government. The Health Minister had claimed not a dime had been paid.

The claim had been made in the heat of public criticism that after the controversial arrangement, which side-stepped Parliament had been made, the deal ended up falling through.

Mr. Agyemang Manu had explained that he had to side-step Parliament because there was an emergency need to have the vaccine supplied. However, Mr. Martin Kpebu disagreed.

“The Committee is of the opinion that even if the situation in the country at the time the Agreement was signed was that of an emergency, due process of law should have been followed because Parliament would have treated the issue with the urgency it deserved and the appropriate action would have been taken accordingly.

“The Agreement would have been taken under certificate of urgency in accordance with the Standing Orders and the practices of the House,” he said.

He said the Minister’s dishonest dealing warrants a trial for perjury in accordance with Parliament Act, 1965, (Act 300) and Article 122 on contempt of Parliament.

“Article 122 on contempt of Parliament says an act or omission which obstructs or impedes Parliament in the performance of its functions is contempt,” he read.

“If a person lies under oath in Parliament, that should also be contempt of Parliament. You know obstruction of justice, if you go and lie it is perjury. You are obstructing it. If someone obstructs justice in Parliament, he has to face the law,” he said.