Accra:Ranking Member of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, Samuel Atta Mills, has criticized the Ministry of Health for allegedly failing to recover approximately GHS10 million in car loans issued to officials.
According to Ghana Web, Atta Mills labeled the situation as "organised crime" during a Public Accounts Committee meeting where Ministry officials were questioned about the car loan scheme. He expressed concern over the issuance of vehicles to officials who did not qualify based on their salaries, allowing them to choose their repayment terms.
He questioned the Ministry's actions and demanded accountability, highlighting the need to identify beneficiaries who have retired or passed away without settling their loans. Atta Mills urged the Ministry to confirm if some vehicles remained with relatives of deceased officials, despite unpaid debts, and called for immediate recovery efforts.
Atta Mills also challenged the Ministry's reliance on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority to track beneficiaries, insisting that the responsibility should rest with the Ministry itself. He suggested forming a recovery unit to reclaim vehicles from those who have not fulfilled their obligations and emphasized the need for stricter measures to address any fraudulent acquisitions.
He further criticized the Ministry for deflecting blame and stressed the urgency for the Minister of Health to take decisive action to resolve the issue.