Minority Tables Vote Of Censure Against Health Minister Over Sputnik V Corruption

The Minority in Parliament has tabled a motion for a vote of censure against the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu over the Minister’s shady transaction in respect of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine scandal.

The Motion which will pave way for his removal, was submitted Wednesday through a memorandum to the Speaker, had all 137 Minority MPs signing it.

According to the Motion, Agyemang-Manu who is also the Member of Parliament for Dormaa Central Constituency undertook the shady business transaction without required parliamentary approval.

This contravenes Article 81 of the 1992 Constitution.

Also, Agyemang-Manu is accused of signing a procurement agreement without prior approval from the Board of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).

Last year, Agyemang Manu had circumvented due process and secretly signed a deal with a paper company of Dalmook Al Makhtoum for the supply of the Russia-made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine at a price of US$19 per vaccine even though the Russians were selling the vaccine at US$10 per vaccine.

The Minister had shadily penned the deal on the blind side of Parliament even though Ghana’s laws are clear that any contract that the country undertakes with an offshore company must first be approved by parliament.

Mr. Agyemang Manu has since claimed that he and his Ministry, who many suspect had set up the deal in order to cream-off dirty money, had been constrained to take that illegal route because of the need to urgently make COVID-19 vaccines available.

Interestingly, even after issuing letters of credit to the company whose exact office is not known, the company was unable to provide the vaccines and GHANA’S COVID-19 story did not change.

Eventually, the company had to return the money but then Agyemang Manu had earlier lied to Parliament that he and his Ministry had not paid anything to the company.

The Minority accused the Health Minister of dishonesty, telling Parliament’s Committee of Health that he procured the Sputnik-V vaccines at an ex-factory price of $10 per dose when they were really procured at $19 and $18.5 per dose.

The Health Minister is also accused of lying under oath, having made a $2.85 million initial payment to the private office of Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum when he told an ad hoc committee that no payment had been made; to wit, perjury.

“The above conduct, being in direct breach of the Constitution and laws passed by this Honourable House, the Minister of Health be removed from office as Minister by a vote of Censure passed in accordance with article 82 of the Constitution.”