The former Minister for Finance, Hon. ken Ofori Atta in his latter days in office as the Finance Minister made authorization for a gigantic USD$34.9 million for the purchasing of three hundred and seven ambulances which is deem as lack of respect for managing the public purse by Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
In a revealing multiple reports by the Member of Parliament for North-Tongu constituency, Hon Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has put forth the procurement details of the three hundred and seven ambulances which was purchased by the authorization of the Former Minister for Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta five days for his departure at the ministry.
“In his last shockingly sleazy conduct, Ken Ofori-Atta by a letter dated 9th February, 2024 approved a staggering US$34,904,505.00 to be paid to the discredited Service Ghana Auto Group Limited for the procurement of spare parts for the 307 ambulances purchased by government in 2019.
“On the same 9th February, 2024, the busy Finance Minister instructed the controller and Accountant-General to release US$10 million, equivalent to GHS120,711,000.00. My impeccable tracking of this transaction that the Controller and Accountant-General processed and released the GHS120,711,000.00 on February 23, 2024 which was promptly received in the accounts of Service Ghana Auto Group Limited.”
“An analysis of this dubiously outrageous transaction valued at US$34,904,505.00 for spare parts for 307 ambulances actually translates into US$113,695,456.00 per ambulance. Instructively, checks from my Mercedes Benz ambulance dealers across the world show that US$113,695,456.00 is far more than the value of a considerable number of modern fully equipped new ambulances,” he said.
Honourable Okudzeto Ablakwa constructively quizzed the locus for which the Finance Minister at the time, Ken Ofori-Atta inked the permit for the procurement of the ambulance spare parts at such an outrageous and no value for money cost.
“Why sign a rip-off and an unconscionable sweetheart deal of US$113,695,465.00 just for spare parts when you can buy a newly fully equipped modern Mercedes Benz ambulance for the same value, and even less?” He asked.
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