Minority Revives Censure Against Health Minister Agyeman Manu Over Sputnik V Vaccine Scandal

• The Minority in Parliament seems to be taking their job of keeping an eye on the Executive seriously
• After filing a successful motion of censure against the finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta, they have moved on to the health minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu
• The Minority legislators have revived a February motion of censure against the health minister over the Sputnik V vaccine scandal

Minority legislators seem unstoppable in bid to carry out their oversight responsibility over the Executive.

The MPs have revive a long-forgotten vote of censure they moved against another of Nana Akufo-Addo's appointees, health minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu.

The vote of censure was moved way back in February 2022 over the ministers handling of a deal to purchase Sputnik V vaccines.

The major scandal bordered on allegations of corruption and breaches of national procurement regulations.

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Among other things, the minister is alleged to have paid at $19 of Ghana's money for thousands of the vaccines instead of the original buying price of $10.

According to Parliament's Order Paper, the recent revival of the motion of censure against the minister is backed by James Klutse Avedzi, MP for Ketu North; Mubarak Muntaka, MP for Asawase; Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda, among others.

In Parliament on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, called for a vote of censure against the minister.

The health minister is accused of lying under oath among others allegations, for telling an ad hoc committee that looked into the scandal that no payment was made to the private office of His Highness Sheik Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, a Dubai based businessman.

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It later turned out that he indeed made payments to the businessman.

The businessman was contracted by the Health Ministry for the procurement of vaccines.

Botched Sputnik V saga has soiled my hard-earned reputation – Agyeman Manu

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that the health minister lamented that when the Sputnik V scandal broke, it tainted his hear-earned reputation.

Kwaku Agyeman Manu said he was shredded into tatters when the issue came up He however expressed disappointment in how badly he was treated.

“Mr. Speaker, I am so amazed. When I was rushing to get some vaccines to do vaccinations quickly to meet our development targets, I was found culpable of not coming to Parliament and I was lambasted to the extent that now I don’t have any image in this country,” he said.

Source: YEN.com.gh