Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, has criticized the Ministry of Health’s response to his petition concerning the controversial $34 million ambulance spare parts deal.
Mr. Ablakwa accused former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and former Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu of colluding with Service Ghana Auto Group Limited to defraud the state. He noted that Ofori-Atta approved the deal just five days before leaving office, which he believes raises suspicions of misconduct and questions the newly incorporated company’s capacity to fulfill the contract.
Following these concerns, the MP petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to investigate the deal, which the OSP has acknowledged.
In a statement dated July 25, the Ministry of Health denied allegations of paying $34.9 million to Service Ghana Auto Group Limited and expressed its readiness to provide further clarification.
However, in an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Mr. Ablakwa criticized the Ministry’s statement as misleading and dishonest. He pointed out that his petition never mentioned a payment of $4.9 million and questioned why the Ministry would address a claim that was never made.
Mr. Ablakwa expressed frustration over what he perceived as the Ministry’s disrespect towards Ghanaians, highlighting the absence of any signatory on the statement as evidence of its dubious nature.
“To be very sincere with you, this is the most hollow, the most porous, bogus, the most dishonest and the most disingenuous statement I’ve ever come across. Who in Ghana has said 4.9 million dollars has been paid, who has said that? They are so fond of setting their own questions and proceeding to answer them, deliberately distorting the issue so that it will distract us from the real matter,” he stated.
He concluded by emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability, rejecting what he called the Ministry’s deliberate attempts to obscure the real issue.