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Ablakwa: The hidden characters behind Akufo-Addo’s acquisition of 307 ambulances


An impeccable, irrefutable and irreproachable parliamentary oversight has finally uncovered the hidden characters behind the acquisition of President Akufo-Addo’s 307 flagship ambulances.

Today I can reveal with authority that the same cabal behind the infamous, inflated, sordid and unscrupulous $34.9 million ambulance parts purchase deal are the same characters who were awarded opaque sole-source contracts worth a staggering $54.3 million to purchase the 307 ambulances.

For the avoidance of doubt, the business partners and close aides of President Akufo-Addo’s daughters were the same guys hastily selected to import the ambulances under extremely shady and embarrassing circumstances.

My ongoing and diligent parliamentary oversight of this ambulance saga has further revealed that, like the scandalous favouritism deal for spare parts, the procurement of the 307 ambulances was also hugely inflated.

On page 2 (paragraph 4) of the Auditor General’s Performance Audit, government officials informed auditors that the 307 Mercedes Benz ambulances were purchased for a total amount of US$54.3 million. (Performance Audit attached.)

This figure of $54.3 million is consistent with what the then Minister of Special Development Initiatives, Hawa Koomson, repeated to the Ghanaian media.

Meanwhile, on page 24 (paragraph 46) of the same Performance Audit, it is stated that the unit price of the ambulance is US$80,000.00. (Performance Audit attached).

At a cost of US$80,000.00 per ambulance, the 307 ambulances should give us a total of GHS24,560,000.00 and not US$54.3 million.

This effectively means that the cost of purchasing the ambulances was inflated by an alarming US$29,740,000.00.

The exaggerated figure of $29.7 million is higher than the actual cost of the 307 ambulances.

Even if a 10% insurance premium of $8,000 per ambulance is added, the purchase of the 307 ambulances would still increase by a whopping $27,284,000. However, it should be noted that the Auditor General found that the insurance premiums for the 307 ambulances had not been paid.

It makes sense to conclude that the $54.3 million of taxpayers’ funds spent by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government should have provided Ghanaians with 678 ambulances and not 307. This is highly criminal!

A thorough parliamentary scrutiny has confirmed that, on this occasion, the presidential looting cabal used other companies to import the ambulances. They did not use the infamous Service Ghana Auto Group Limited.

The companies used by the presidential family gang are: Elok Consult and Services Limited; BEFT Engineering Works Limited; Bluemix Company Limited; Prestige Era Company Limited; RDC Company Limited; Luxury World Auto Group Limited and Quality Suppliers and Builders Company Limited.

It is illustrative that most of the 8 companies, 6 of them, were formed between April and September 2017, the year Akufo-Addo assumed the presidency of Ghana. None of them have any experience or expertise in importing ambulances.

Elok Consult and Services Limited was incorporated on July 25, 2017. The directors are Stephen Okoro, the man who gave President Akufo-Addo his first granddaughter, and another gentleman who used the name Solomon Okereke for the company registration.

Remember that Stephen Okoro, a politically exposed figure, is also a business partner of Gyankroma Akufo-Addo. Together they have created numerous businesses, as I revealed in part two.

Subsequent background checks on Solomon Okereke revealed that he is the direct brother of Stephen Okoro.

Solomon Okereke’s intercepted passport confirms that his full name is Solomon Okoro Okereke. (Intercepted passport attached.)

It is not immediately clear why Solomon hid Okoro when he was registering Elok Consult with his brother, Stephen.

Elok Consult received a staggering payment of GHS 32,203,322.14 on 27 December 2019 for the importation of 40 ambulances.

BEFT Engineering Works Limited was incorporated on 20 April 2017.

The directors of BEFT Engineering are Frank Agyekum and Alvin Mensah.

Alvin Mensah is a long-time associate of Edwina Akufo-Addo.

On 24 December 2019, BEFT Engineering received a payment of GHS 26,694,249.13 for the importation of 40 ambulances.

Bluemix Company Limited was incorporated on 5 September 2017.

Its directors are Katumi Nambiema and Prince Osei. This company is also a subscriber of Service Ghana Auto Group Limited.

On 24 December 2019, Bluemix received GHS 15,910,697.68 for the supply of 35 ambulances.

Prestige Era Company Limited was incorporated on 19 April 2017.

Its directors are Abdul Sumaila and Yousiph Abdulkadir.

Prestige Era is another subscriber of Service Ghana Auto Group Limited.

On 27 December 2019, Prestige Era received GHS 32,203,452.19 for the importation of 40 ambulances.

RDC Company Limited was incorporated on 27 June 2014.

Its directors are Alberta Baidoo and Stephanie Bannerman.

RDC is a subscriber of Service Ghana Auto Group Limited.

On 27 December 2019 they were paid GHS 17,067,138.41 for the importation of 40 ambulances.

Luxury World Auto Group Limited was incorporated on 24 November 2015.

Its directors are Elisha Enti, Vivian Oppong-Kyekyeku, Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku and Jeannette Affram.

Luxury World is another subscriber of the famous Service Ghana Auto Group Limited.

On 27 December 2019, Luxury World received GHS 32,202,026.99 for the supply of 40 ambulances.

Quality Suppliers and Builders Company Limited also received a payment of GHS26,679,812.23 on 27 December 2019 for the procurement of 40 ambulances. They remain subscribers to the discredited Service Ghana Auto Group Limited.

The incorporation documents and evidence of payments for all the aforementioned companies are duly attached.

It should be noted that the large disparities in the value of payments between different companies for the same specifications of ambulances purchased during the same period require a special forensic audit to unravel the mystery.

So far, this presidential ambulance cabal has conspired and appropriated a highly inflated initial ambulance contract of $54.3 million, 115 million cedis for the maintenance of the ambulances between 2020 and 2023, $10 million in February this year, and an impending payment of $24.9 million. That is a total of about $108 million.

Based on the latest findings from my more in-depth parliamentary oversight of this scandal, I will take steps to promptly update my petition currently before the Special Prosecutor.

They can run but they can’t hide!

There will certainly be recoveries and sanctions.

It is easy to predict that the real criminal proceedings in the mega ambulance case will begin in 2025; obviously, the ongoing Ato Forson/Jakpa case now seems like an even bigger joke.

Nothing will stop us from defeating nepotistic state capture!

For God and Country.

Ghana first.

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