Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Ranking Member - Parliament Select Committee on Health

Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee has indicated the Minority’s commitment to seeing to the removal and subsequent prosecution of Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, for his role in the botched Sputnik V vaccine deal.

According to him, no stone will be left unturned in the pursuit of this agenda till the full weight of the law runs its course.

The Health Minister, in Parliament, is facing a vote of censure being instigated by the Minority side.

In a Memo to the Speaker on Wednesday, the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, explained that the Dormaa Central MP’s action is contrary to Article 191 of the 1992 Constitution.

Therefore, the Minority wants the appointing authority to give him the sack.

According to the Minority signing a procurement agreement with the “prior approval of the Board of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) under sections 40 and 41 of the PPA Act, 2003 (663) as amended by Act 914 which constitutes a criminal offence under the law.”

The Minority said, considering that “the above conduct, being in direct breach of the Constitution and Laws of passed by this honourable House, the Health Minister be removed from office as a Minister by a vote of censure passed in accordance with Article 82 of the Constitution.”

Speaking to Evans Mensah on JoyNews’ PM Express, Mr Akandoh noted that the Minority will be unyielding in their pursuit and have the backing of Ghanaians and the constitution.

“We’ll explore all, we’re not leaving any. We have an opportunity in the constitution; we’ll make good use of it. That’s our first step. We’re not ruling out anything. We are not. Evans, I’ve told you people are in court because they didn’t come to parliament to seek approval for international transaction.  We will not relax. We’ll travel the full haul of it,” he said.

According to him, should they not get the required margins in Parliament to move the hand of the President; the Minority will file a formal complaint against the Minister at the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

He stated that the Special Prosecutor should by enterprise, already be analyzing the findings of the Sputnik V vaccine deal report and preparing for prosecution.

“In fact by now the Special Prosecutor himself should have been looking for this report. He should have been looking for this report,” he said.