President of the Republic, Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured Ghanaians that: “Nothing dishonourable was done with Covid funds.”
“Covid funds were not misused. It is critical that we do not lose the confidence of the people that the crisis we were all in together was being abused,” he stated whilst delivering the State of the Nation Address in Parliament Wednesday, March 8, 2023.
The President says unlike the assertion that the funds were misused, it was expensed judiciously for the purposes of tackling the pandemic.
READ ALSO: NDC demands Godfred Dame to withdraw unconstitutional letter to A-G on COVID-19 expenditure
According to him, the subsidisation of electricity and water tariffs for Ghanaians as well as the 50 per cent tax reduction for those who led the front line at the health sector to fight the pandemic are part of the expenditure the money was uses for.
Meanwhile, the recent report produced by the Auditor General on the Covid-19 spending says otherwise.
“During our review, we noted that senior management staff and other supporting staff of the Ministry of Information paid themselves a total amount of GH¢151,500.00 as COVID-19 risk allowance for coming to work during the lockdown,” part of the report stated.
“The Ministry of Health (MoH) entered a contract signed on 15 December 2021 for the supply of 26 Toyota Hiace Deluxe Ambulances valued at US$4,049,460.12 out of which US$607,419.02 was paid to vide PV No. IPF 22-007 of 2 September 2022 is to be delivered by 15 January 2022,” it added.
However, the report said, the ambulances remained undelivered as of 28 November 2022.
By Felix Anim-Appau|Onuaonline.com
