I will support your decision to resign – Kweku Baako tells Minister of Health

New Crusading Guide editor-in-chief Abdul Malik Kweku Baako urged Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu to step down.

This is because the ad hoc committee investigating the purchase of Sputnik V vaccines revealed that Mr. Agyeman-Manu violated procurement procedures and constitutional requirements for the contract.

Speaking on JoyNews News FileOn Saturday August 7, Mr. Kweku Baako said there was no justification for what he called an “absolute disaster” by the Minister of Health.

He said signing the deal without “Cabinet, Procurement Council or Parliament approval is a mess.”

“If he intends to resign, I will support him, I will vote for him,” Baako said.

His comment follows a massive public backlash as well as a call from the minority in parliament to resign Mr. Agyeman-Manu.

Kweku Baako believes that submitting a resignation will do the Minister of Health a lot of good.

The ad hoc committee set up by Parliament to investigate the contract submitted its report to the House on Friday, August 6, 2021.

The Committee established that the contract with MM. Al Maktoum had been signed without the approval of the Public Procurement Authority under Articles 40 and 41 of Law 663 and without taking into account the requirements of Article 181 (5) of the Constitution.

“The committee noted that the amount of $ 2,850,000.00 (representing 50% of the contract amount of $ 5,700,000.00) was paid to Messrs. 5.73 when the minister said he was not aware of a payment under oath, ”the report revealed.

The Committee therefore recommended that the Department of Finance recover the $ 2,850,000.00 (representing 50% of the contractual sum of $ 5,700,000.00) paid to Messrs. Al Maktoum.

In addition, the Committee presented the agreements concluded by the Ministry to the Public Procurement Authority for ratification.