Criminal charges have been filed against a former Deputy Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, and two others for allegedly causing financial loss to the state.
The two others are a former Chief Director at the Ministry of Health, Sylvestre Anemana and a businessman, Richard Jakpa.
The three have been dragged to the Accra High Court on five counts of wilfully causing financial loss to the state, abetment to wilfully causing financial loss to the state, contravention of the Public Procurement Act, and intentionally misapplying public property.
The charges filed by the Attorney General’s office is in relation to the procurement of 200 ambulances under the erstwhile Prof John Evans Atta Mills and John Mahama administration.
Mr Jakpa is alleged to have used his company Jakpa Business, to present a proposal and term loan to the Ministry of Health to finance the supply of 200 ambulances.
The Cabinet at the time subsequently endorsed an Executive approval for the project.
On this backdrop, the country incurred a $2.4 million loss after 30 ambulances were procured in 2014 by the Health Ministry which were later found to be faulty.
Despite the original plan to procure 200 ambulances, the government suspended the deal after the delivered ones did not meet the required specifications.
On the part of Mr Anemana, the AG said in November 2012, he breached procurement processes by making false representations for the purpose of unfair advantage in the award of a single-source contract to Big Sea General Trading Limited in Dubai for the supply of the ambulances.
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Mr Forson, who is also the Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam Member of Parliament, had earlier stated that the Finance Ministry at the time only “issued at sight letters of credit”.
This, he explained, was on behalf of the Health Ministry after they had put in a request.
Read the full document from the AG’s office below:
