Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu
The Office of Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, a member of the ruling family of Dubai, has repaid the $2,470,000 meant for the supply of Sputnik V vaccine to the Government of Ghana.
The payment advice was contained in a communication addressed to the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Kwabena Boadu Oku-Afari, titled, “Refund to the Government of Ghana the Balance of Payment for 300,000 Doses of Sputnik V Vaccine.”
“Please reciprocate my best wishes to the Honorable Minister and send my compliments to the Ministry and its team. We acknowledge receipt of your letter with Ref. No MOH/CD/LG/012/21 dated 10th August, 2021 regarding the refund of the balance of payment to the Government of Ghana for the supply of the Sputnik V Vaccine.
“The requested amount of Two Million Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand United States Dollars (USD$2,470,000) has already been refunded to the designated bank account, as communicated by you. The SWIFT and the payment advice for the refund are hereby attached for your reference and record,” it stated.
The statement stressed that “the funds have ever (sic) been drawn under the LC,” adding “Also, kindly note that the LC stands expired since June 2021 and is no longer a valid legal instrument issued in our favour. Kindly issue us a payment receipt once the funds have been credited into the Government bank account.”
Sputnik Controversy
Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, received some flak from some sections of the public over his handling of the whole Sputnik V vaccines deal which occasioned the by-partisan probe by Parliament.
Following the transaction which has generated heated political debate, the government through the MoH made a payment of $2,850,000 to Sheikh Al Maktoum for the procurement of the Sputnik V vaccine for COVID-19, which the minister claimed was without his knowledge when he appeared before the nine-member ad-hoc Parliament Committee set up to probe the procurement of the vaccine.
The parliamentary committee then submitted its report to Parliament on Friday, August 6, 2021, and recommended among other things that the Finance Ministry should retrieve the over $2 million paid the middlemen who were supposed to supply the vaccines to Ghana.
The committee found that the Ministry of Health did not comply with the requirements of Article 181(5) of the constitution in respect of its agreement with an intermediary, Messrs Al Maktoum.
The committee also determined that the agreements were entered into without prior approval by the Public Procurement Authority under Sections 40 and 41 of Act 663.
“The Agreements ensuing from the negotiations have been submitted to the PPA for ratification… Indeed, at the time of completing its work, PPA was yet to do the ratification.
“The committee urges the Minister for Finance to take steps to recover the money due to the Republic in respect of the amount of US$2,850,000.00 (Cedi equivalent of GH¢16,331,640.00) being the cost of the Sputnik V vaccines that were proposed to be procured,” the committee recommended.
Refund Letter
In the ensuing heat, the minister requested for a refund of money paid to Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, for the supply of initial 300,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccine.
The letter acknowledged the termination of the vaccine supply agreement dated March 9, 2021 as per the supplier’s letter with reference no. ADM/LT/GHA/00/21/101 dated July 14, 2021.
The letter formally requested the refund of the remaining amount for the non-supplied doses, which should be the total amount paid to the private office of Sheikh Al Maktoum.
The refund was minus the amount for the 20,000 doses already supplied to the country by Sheikh Al Maktoum.
The request was in response to an earlier e-mail dated July 25, 2021, in which it was affirmed that on April 13, 2021, funds were transferred into Sheik Al Maktoum accounts as 50 per cent advance for the initial batch of 300,000 doses for $19 per dose.
“This refund request is in line with clause 8. 2 of the agreement which states that ‘any termination of this Agreement, which shall be by notice in writing to the other Party, shall not affect any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities of the parties that have accrued up to the date of termination.
“It would be very much appreciated if the amount is transferred back into the sending bank account as per the earlier swift advice dated 9th April 2021,” the letter stated in part.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri