The ad-hoc committee of Parliament probing the contract agreements for the purchase and supply of Sputnik-V vaccines has urged the Minister for Finance to take steps to recover an amount of GH¢16.3 million paid to Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum.
The money covers the cost of Sputnik-V vaccines that the Ministry of Health paid to Sheik Al Maktoum, a member of the ruling family of the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai, who served as a middleman for the procurement.
“The Committee urges the Minister for Finance to take steps to recover the money due the Republic in respect of the amount of US$2,850,000.00 (Cedi equivalent of GH¢16,331,640.00) being the cost of the Sputnik-V vaccines that were proposed to be procured,” the committee said.
Payment
In a report yet to be tabled before the House, the nine-member committee said “We found that the amount of $2.85 million, representing 50 per cent of the contract sum of $5.7 million, has been paid to Messrs Al Maktoum and this translates into the cedi equivalent of GH¢16.3 million converted at the then prevailing exchange rate of US$1 to GH¢5.73 whereas the minister said he had no knowledge of payment under oath.”
The committee, chaired by the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, was tasked to investigate the procurement contract between the government of Ghana and Sheik Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum and S. L. Global for the supply of Sputnik-V COVID-19 vaccines.
International agreement
Per the report of the committee, the procurement and supply of the Sputnik-V Covid-19 vaccines was an international agreement, which required a prior parliamentary approval to come into operation in accordance with Article 181(5) of the 1992 Constitution.
It said the MoH however did not seek approval from the board of Public Procurement Authority (PPA) under Sections 40 and 41 of Act 663 before signing the agreements.
It noted that the ministry however, applied for ratification under Section 90(3) (c) of the Act, which had still not been granted.
“The Committee found that the ministry dealt with the private office of His Highness Al Maktoum and S. L. Global. The two entities were appointed by the Aurugulf Health Investment (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), to be both Agents and Distributors of the Sputnik-V COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana, clearly using middlemen for the purchase and distribution of the vaccine.
Cost of Vaccines
The report said it found that the amount of $19 was the agreed price of the vaccine under the ministry’s agreement with Al Maktoum and $18.50 under the agreement with S. L. Global which was originally $26 per dose as against the ex-factory price of the Sputnik-V vaccine of $10.
“The minister explained that the prices achieved under the two agreements included the cost of documentation, shipping, packaging, logistics and expenses in relation to transportation of the vaccine from its place of origin to Ghana,” it said.
Failure to secure approval
The report noted that the ministry entered into the two agreements without cabinet approval but only based on a ministerial decision.
Recommendation
The report said based on its findings, the committee was of the opinion that even if the situation in the country at the time the agreement was signed was that of an emergency, due process of law should have been followed because Parliament would have treated the issue with the urgency it deserved and the appropriate action would have been taken accordingly.
“The agreement would have been taken under certificate of urgency in accordance with the Standing Orders and the practices of the House.
“The point must also be made that, even if it was an emergency, the minister should have found time to communicate effectively and engage with the Committee on Health.
“The extensive engagement would have saved the ministry from the negative reactions from the citizenry and some Members of Parliament,” the report said.
The report recommended that in the future any such transaction, whether local or international, should be subjected to broader stakeholder consultations and should be taken through due process of law, including parliamentary approval.
