Minority accuses government of allegedly inflating prices of 307 ambulances purchased in 2019

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority Caucus in Parliament Tuesday accused the government of allegedly inflating the price of 307 ambulances purchased in 2019. According to the Caucus, the ambulances were not supposed to cost more than $25 million, with a unit cost of $80,000. Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Chairman of the Government Assurances Committee of Parliament, addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps, demanded full accountability and prosecution of those found responsible for the deal. He referred to the 2022 Auditor General's performance audit, which he said revealed the said inflated procurement. Mr. Ablakwa said: 'The procurement of the 307 ambulances cost this country $54.3 million. The Auditor General has revealed if you go through the 2022 performance audit, that procurement itself is problematic. 'When you do the analysis, it was an inflated procurement because page 24 of the audit reveals that the unit price of the ambulance is $80,000 and yet we paid $54.3 million,' Mr. Abla kwa said. He added: '$80,000 multiplied by 307, we should not have paid more than $25 million for this ambulance. And yet Ghana was made to pay a colossal, whopping $54.3 million as discovered on page two of the Auditor General's report.' Mr. Ablakwa also an NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency said between 2020 and 2023, GHS115 million were paid to Service Ghana Auto Group Limited, with one of its key directors being President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's alleged son-in-law, Mr. Stephen Okoro, for an ambulance maintenance under dubious conditions The North Tongu Legislator alleged that the company had a long-standing business partnership with the President's daughters. 'Then you need to also consider the fact that between 2020 and 2023, this company, Service Ghana Auto Group Limited, has been paid 115 million Ghana cedis in addition to the $54.3 million then the latest scandal, the intercepted letters of the 'Hon Ken Ofori Atta on the 9th February 2024, a few days before he left of fice on the 14 February, he instructed that this $34.9 million should be approved and that his ministry would take care of $10 million and the National Health Insurance Authority should take care of the outstanding $24.9 million,' he alleged. Mr. Ablakwa further noted that key director of Service, Ghana Auto Group Limited, was named, Mr. Stephen Okoro. 'We have discovered through our parliamentary oversight, diligent parliamentary oversight, that Stephen Okoro is not just any Ghanaian or Nigerian for that matter. He is an in-law to President Akufo-Addo. Stephen Okoro has given President Akufo-Addo a grandchild,' Mr. Ablakwa said. He added: 'This is a fact. And now in the corruption literature, politically exposed persons come under greater scrutiny. That is why when we were formulating the Office of Special Prosecutor Act, we included politically exposed persons. 'The other thing that makes Stephen Okoro so politically exposed is that we have discovered that he is a longstanding business partner of the Ak ufo-Addo daughters.' Source: Ghana News Agency