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Health ministry says Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum has agreed to reimburse $2,470,000 paid by the government to provide 300,000 doses of Sputnik Covid-19 vaccine.
This was contained in a letter spotted by JoyNews and signed by the Director General, Kwabena Boadu Oku-Afari, to the Ministry of Finance dated August 9.
The letter referred to a previous one dated August 5, 2021, from Sheikh Al Maktoum at the Ministry of Health.
“His Highness’s private officer, by correspondence, has honorably agreed to reimburse an amount of $ 2,470,000, the balance of the 50% advance payment of $ 2,850,000,” reads the letter from the ministry. of Health at the Ministry of Finance.
The letter indicates that the reimbursement is due to the fact that Sheikh Al Maktoum delivered only 20,000 Sputnik vaccines out of the 300,000 expected doses.
This recent development comes after Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu wrote to Sheikh Al Maktoum to reimburse money for doses not provided after the committee appointed by Parliament to investigate the deal discovered that the amount of $ 2,850,000 (representing 50% of the contractual sum of $ 5,700,000) had been paid to MM. Al Maktoum despite the minister claiming that no payment had been made.
The Minister of Health was then tasked with writing to Sheikh Al Maktoum and demanding reimbursement.
“By this letter, I also wish to formally request reimbursement of the remaining amount for the doses not provided, which should be the total amount paid to your office, less the amount due for the 20,000 doses you have already provided, in line with your previous e-mail of July 25, 2021, in which it was stated that on April 13, 2021, funds had been transferred to your accounts as a 50% advance for the initial batch of 300,000 doses ”, is part of Mr. Agyeman-Manu’s letter reads.
Recognizing this, Sheikh Al Maktoum, in his response, confirmed the amount to be refunded, adding that “please share with us the bank details where the refund is to be processed”.
As a result, the Ministry of Health asked the Ministry of Finance to provide it with the bank details necessary for the transfer of the said amount to be reimbursed.
“We hope that this request will receive the urgent attention needed,” the ministry added.
Meanwhile, a cross section of the general public is urging the government to remove the Minister of Health from office, as reports from the ad hoc committee found Mr Agyeman-Manu violated constitutional provisions on parliamentary approval prerequisite and the law on public procurement in its quest to obtain vaccines to help fight against Covid-19.
The appeals were defended by the minority in parliament, led by Tamale Sud MP Haruna Iddrisu.
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