Minority tables vote of censure for Health Minister’s removal

All 137 members of the Minority in Parliament have signed a motion for vote of censure in the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, who is also the Member of Parliament for Dormaa Central Constituency.

The motion was submitted on Wednesday, February 16 via a memorandum to the Speaker of Parliament.

According to the motion, Mr Agyemang-Manu undertook a business transaction as Ghana’s Minister of Health without prior approval of Parliament contrary to Article 81 of the 1992 Constitution.

He has also been accused of signing a procurement agreement without prior approval of the Board of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).

The Minority also accuses the Health Minister of dishonesty, telling the Committee of Health that he procured the Sputnik-V vaccines at an ex-factory price of $10 per dose when they were really procured at $19 and $18.5 per dose.

The Health Minister is also accused of fibbing and misrepresenting under oath, having made a $2.85 million initial payment to the private office of Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum when he told an ad hoc committee that no payment had been made.

The Minority accuses him of perjury.

“The above conduct, being in direct breach of the Constitution and laws passed by this Honourable House, the Minister of Health be removed from office as Minister by a vote of Censure passed in accordance with article 82 of the Constitution.”

When he appeared before the nine-member bi-partisan committee on the procurement of the Sputnik-V vaccines, Mr Agyemang-Manu said he was not himself when he took the decision because the country was in dire straits due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source: 3news.com