Ghanatodayonline.com News, Politics, Health, Education & More
The Sputnik-V vaccines procurement controversy has prompted the Minority in Parliament to renew a private member’s resolution calling for the resignation of Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, Minister of Health.
The motion was supported, among others, by James Avedzi, Mubarak Muntaka, and Ahmed Ibrahim, according to the Order Paper of Parliament.
A motion was made for the first time in February 2022.
The Minister was accused of perjury, among other things, when he lied to the ad hoc committee on oaths that no payment was made under the terms of the agreement to the private office of His Highness Shiek Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, a businessman from Dubai hired by the Health Ministry to purchase vaccines. The Speaker of Parliament demanded a vote of censure against the Minister.
The debate over the vaccinations started when the Norwegian tabloid VG revealed that the government had purchased 3.4 million doses of the Russian Sputnik-V COVID-19 vaccines by employing middlemen’s services.
However, this came at a higher price of $19 instead of the $10 initial factory price, which led demands for the procurement contract to be terminated.
Earlier, Mr. Agyemang-Manu asserted that the state had not received any cash for the vaccination.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and the purchase of the Sputnik-V vaccines need the involvement of intermediaries, whose actions would result in an increase in the initial price, according to the head of the Health Committee in Parliament, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
