Special Prosecutor must probe health minister over Sputnik V scandal

The parliamentary committee that probed the controversial Sputnik V vaccines has called on the Special Prosecutor to take over the case and investigate the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu.

A member of the committee, Bernard Ahiafor, in an interview on the Morning Starr on Monday, August 9, said the committee established that Kwaku Agyemang Manu breached several processes in signing the deal with intermediaries but added that the committee lacks the power to prosecute him.

“The ad hoc committee can’t say go and prosecute the minister. The entire parliament will have to make a decision. The committee unanimously agreed that the contract being an international agreement, should have come to parliament, but that wasn’t done. That was established.”

“Immediately the report was distributed, particularly with regards to payment that he is denying, people are of the view that the report should be presented to the special prosecutor, and I share the same view.”

The majority of Ghanaians have called for the Health Minister to resign following the agreement he signed with intermediaries to purchase the Sputnik V vaccines from Russia.

The Minority in Parliament on Friday also demanded the revocation of the appointment of Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang Manu over breaches in the procurement of Sputnik V vaccines through middlemen.

A report from parliament’s Ad hoc committee investigating the matter indicted the Health Minister for failing to seek parliamentary approval, among others.

In July this year, Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang Manu admitted that he independently approved the purchase of a $64.6 million contract for Sputnik V Vaccine from Russia out of frustration.

He told the ad hoc Committee of Parliament tasked to probe the controversial Sputnik V vaccines procurement agreement, accumulated frustrations to procure the vaccines for the country compelled him to disregard parliamentary approval as required by Article 181 5 of the 1992 constitution.

He had plans to formally seek parliamentary approval after independently approving the $64.6 million contract in the minister’s justification.