The cost of the 307 ambulances purchased by the Akufo-Addo government was inflated by US$29million, Chairman of the Government Assurances Committee of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has disclosed.
He says the US$54.1 million used to purchase the ambulance should have been down by the inflated amount according to an Auditor-General report he quoted on the KeyPoints on TV3 Saturday, August 03, 2024.
According to Ablakwa, incontrovertible evidence at his disposal shows that the two daughters of President Akufo-Addo and their business partner who are involved in the alleged ambulance spare parts scandal are the very persons involved in the procurement of the ambulances.
Detailing the actual cost involved in the scandal, Mr. Ablakwa disclosed that the records show that the cost of the ambulances were inflated by US$29million.
“Remember that my Parliamentary oversight responsibility has led us to an incontrovertible, irrefutable, unimpeachable, impeccable conclusion that it’s the same characters who procured the ambulances. So you need to start from US$54.3million quoted by the Auditor-General, that we spent procuring the ambulance was inflated by over US$29million.
“Then you need to also add the US$34.9m for the spare parts which Ken Ofori-Atta instructed on the 9th of February, few days before he left office. Then when you also go through this payment vouchers, you realise that between 2020 and 2023, this same Service Ghana Auto Group Ltd. has been paid GHC115million so if you put all of these figures together, we are talking about a US$108m scandal,” he indicated.
Background
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, recently accused former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and former Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu of conspiring with Service Ghana Auto Group Limited to swindle the state in the botched deal.
Mr. Ablakwa alleged that Ofori-Atta approved the deal just five days before leaving office, raising suspicions of impropriety and questioning the company’s ability to deliver, given its recent incorporation.
Meanwhile, Health Minister, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, has said that the Bank of Ghana has not made any payment in relation to the $34 million ambulance spare parts deal with Service Ghana Auto Group Limited.
Appearing before the Government Assurances Committee of Parliament on Thursday, August 01, 2024, Dr. Okoe Boye refuted claims that Service Ghana Auto Group Limited has already been paid $34 million.
“I spoke to one of the Deputy Governors who I had a working relationship with when I was at Health Insurance and the Deputy Governor made me aware that not even a dollar has been given to the provider.
“She used some terms that it is actually a letter of credit and that it is when the provider has actually performed, and supplied parts to certain tunes that they are empowered to pay for the work done. And so the governor made me understand that they have it with them, but they have not paid,” he indicated.
https://onuaonline.com/total-amount-involved-in-alleged-ambulance-scandal-is-us108m-ablakwa-discloses/
