-As Gov’t Cooks Another US$187 million Opaque vaccine deal
Whatsup News can report that the vaccine mafia at the corridors of power has hatched an elaborate scheme to practically monopolise the supply of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to Ghana.
Whatsup News has intercepted a confidential cover letter of an agreement between the Health Ministry and UK-based Gemcorp Capital LLP alongside their Ghanaian partners, Cedar Point Company Limited to supply 15 million doses of the vaccine at a total contract sum of US$187.5 million.
The letter dated April 22, 2021, reads: “GEMCORP CAPITAL LLP (Coordinator) wishes to propose fifteen (15) million doses of the Sputnik V Vaccine under the supply agreement with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Cedar Point Chemist Limited (Cedar Point) as Facilitator.”
The letter was signed by Atanas Bostandjiev, the Group CEO of Gemcorp and copied to Nana Asante Bediatuo, the Executive Secretary to President Akufo Addo.
Per the agreement, the companies would be selling each dose of the vaccine to Ghana at US$12.50, even though they are reportedly getting each dose from the Russians at US$9.95.
These contracts have virtually been signed at the blindside of the Ghanaian Parliament and with little recourse to transparent public procurement processes, Whatsup News gathered.
Reliable sources tell Whatsup News that the number of doses signed off in the agreement may be a trap that could come back to bite Ghana in the form of a judgment debt because clearly, Ghana had not planned to buy a total of 25 million Sputnik V vaccines when Ghana is already going to be receiving millions of doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the WHO COVAX programme.
Also, the Ministry of Health had already signed an earlier contract with two companies for the supply of Sputnik V vaccines totalling some 9 million doses.
Yet, the Akufo Addo administration had stated that it only plans to vaccinate 20 million out of the 30 million Ghanaian population, yet has given the supply of 15 million single-dosed Sputnik V to a Ghanaian company believed to be linked to powerful individuals at the Jubilee House.
Gemcorp and Cedar Point are asking for a 30% advance payment for the supply and 70% upon delivery. The advance payment will total US$56.25 million.
Our sources reveal that the apparent Knee-jerk scheme was deliberately hatched to ensure that some US$56.25 million is safe in the bank vaults of the vaccine mafia before questions are raised about the contract.
It is unclear if the funds have been wired to Gemcorp and Cedar Point already as investigations are unveiling some names at the Jubilee House as the likely kingpins who hatched the scheme, and behind President Akufo Addo.
But Whatsup News is currently unable to verify these names. However, we have been digging into the background of the individuals owning Cedar Point and it turned up a few names.
At the Registrar General’s Department, the names of three main directors of Cedar Point pop up upon searching. They are One Samuel Kow Donkoh, Esther Donkoh and Eric Addo.
Sources say the contract was awarded to the company and their UK partners in an intricate web involving fronting for the faceless individuals close to the corridors of power.