General News of Saturday, 7 August 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.com• Ministry of Health has defended the Minister of Health• The ministry said Agyemang-Manu didn’t know about payment for vaccine prior to the committee meeting• The minister had denied knowledge of the payment when he appeared before the committeeThe Ministry of Health has defended Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the sector minister over the payment of US$2,850,000 to Messrs Al Maktoum, in the procurement of the Sputnik V vaccine. Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta has been subsequently asked by the committee to take steps to recover the US $2,850,000, being the cost of the Sputnik V vaccines that were proposed to be procured. The ministry of health in their letter of defence sighted by GhanaWeb attached three documents the ministry claimed it received. They include; a letter from the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to the Bank of Ghana in respect of an order of telegraphic transfer of funds, the Bank of Ghana foreign exchange transfer instructions and the Bank of Ghana notice of transfer of funds from the Government of Ghana to the Private Office of H. H. Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum. The health ministry further explained, “in line with clause 8.2 of the Agreement, the Ministry of Health has taken steps by requesting for the assistance of the Ministry of Finance to recover the remaining amount from the Private Office of H. H. Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, which should be the total amount paid, minus the amount due for the 20.000 doses already supplied.”
