The Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus in Parliament has urged the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to expedite action on its investigation into the $34.9 million ambulance spare parts scandal.
The transaction, described by the NDC as one of the worst scandals ever uncovered in the country involves the daughters of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and one of their lovers, Service Ghana Auto Group Limited (SGAGL), a company they formed among several others, and former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
The Caucus expressed disappointment in the President for failure to keep his campaign promise of not running a family and friends government and also protecting the public purse.
The call to the Special Prosecutor is one of three demands that the Minority issued at a press conference on Tuesday, August 6 and addressed by the Chairman of the Government Assurances Committee of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The Minority also demanded President Akufo Addo immediately cancel the $34.9 million ambulance spare parts procurement deal.
The Caucus also demanded President Akufo Addo instruct Chief of Staff, Frema Osei Opare, to stop mounting pressure on Ministers regarding unlawful payments for the deal.
Okudzeto Ablakwa revealed that the OSP has already opened investigations into the case and has already interviewed the Minority members, who have provided him with relevant documents.
He urged the OSP to act swiftly, as there has been no official communication indicating yet that the scandalous ambulance deal has been halted.
He emphasized the urgency, pointing out that $10 million has already been approved and disbursed to SGAGL, with $24.9 million still outstanding.
Ablakwa underscored the dire state of the nation’s health sector and pointed out that Ghana currently has only four functional MRI machines in public hospitals nationwide and revealed that the last national hospital re-equipping program was in 2011.
He argued that the $34.9 million could be better spent addressing these pressing healthcare needs.
The NDC Minority expressed discontent with President Akufo-Addo and recalled his previous promise not to run a “family and friends” government. They accuse him of cooking contracts and bringing them to his family’s table, calling the situation appalling and disgusting.
Ablakwa warned that if these demands are not met in the next few days, the Minority will reconvene and consult with leadership to decide on the next steps.
He warned the government not to underestimate the power of the people and the resolve of the NDC Minority and stressed that the Caucus is not joking about the matter and expects immediate action to prevent further financial haemorrhage in the country.