The Dubai-based middleman, who was dealing with the Health Ministry in the botched purchase of the Sputnik V vaccines, Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, has refunded $2,470,000 to Ghana.
The amount represents the balance of the cost of non-supplied doses of the 300,000 vaccines that the Health Ministry had requested.
The Sheikh was only able to supply 20,000 of the 300,000 doses.
In a letter shared by Presidential Staffer, Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, on Facebook, the Sheikh states that “The requested about of…2,470,000 has already been refunded to the designated account for your reference and record.â€
At the height of the pressure on the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, to resign for breaching a plethora of procurement regulations in the purchase of the vaccines, he wrote to the Sheikh to refund the cash.
In a letter dated August 2, 2021, and signed by Mr Agyemang-Manu and addressed to the businessman, the Minister requested a refund of the amount paid for undelivered doses of the vaccine.
“By this letter, I also wish to formally request for the refund of the remaining amount for the non-supplied doses, which should be the total amount paid to your office minus the amount due for the 20,000 doses you already supplied, in line with your earlier e-mail dated 25th July 2021 in which it was affirmed that on the 13th of April 2021, funds were transferred into your accounts as fifty per cent (50%) advance for the initial batch of 300,000 doses,†he had said.
It has emerged that Ghana paid more than $2.8 million to Sheikh Al Maktoum for the procurement of the Sputnik V vaccine.
This is contrary to an earlier claim by the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, that the state has not expended any money towards the procurement of the vaccine through Sheikh Al Maktoum.
The nine-member ad-hoc parliamentary committee set up to probe the controversial Sputnik V vaccine procurement deal in their final report indicated that $2,850,000 representing 50% of the $5,700,000 owed to Sheikh Dalmook Al Maktoum for the eventual supply of 300,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccine was actually paid to him.
“According to the Bank of Ghana in its letter of 31st March 2021, out of the total amount of $5,700,000.00 owed to Sheikh Al Maktoum, an amount of US$2,850,000.00 representing 50% has been paid to him and that translates into a Cedi equivalent of GH¢16,331,640.00 converted at the exchange rate of $1 to GH¢5.73,†the report said.
Many have said the Minister should still get the sack even if the money is refunded.