The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Wa West, Mr. Peter Lanchene Toobu has accused government of trying to cow the Minority Members in Parliament into submission by dragging Hon Cassiel Ato Forson to court.
The Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam, Cassiel Ato Forson together with two others, has been dragged to the High Court on five counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state, contravening the Procurement Act, and misapplying public property.
According to the facts of the case, Dr Ato Forson, who doubles as the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee of Parliament executed a contract by the government of Ghana to purchase some 200 ambulances for the National Ambulance Service when he was a Deputy Finance Minister under the erstwhile Mahama administration.
Despite the granting of a medium-term loan facility of €15.8 million for the 200 ambulances, only 10 were shipped to Ghana in 2014.
“A post-delivery inspection of the first batch of 10 ambulances revealed that same were without any medical equipment in them. Other fundamental defects included defects on the body of the vehicles and the patient compartment of the ambulances,” the writ noted.
However, the Wa West MP says it's an attempt to silence the "vociferous" minority MPs.
Speaking in an interview on Neat FM's Me Man Nti programme, he defended the MP "insisting he's done nothing wrong. he was a deputy minister you only take instructions from the substantive minister...this one is just an attempt to cow people; an attempt to silence the vociferous minority in Parliament. Ato Forson was a deputy Minister and took instructions from his minister..."
Listen to him in the video below
Bail
Meanwhile, Dr. Ato Forson has been granted a self-reconnaissance bail to the tune of three (3) million Ghana cedis.
He is to file his disclosure by February 8, 2022, and return on February 15 for Case Management Conference.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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Is it not through the court that a guilty person will be found? Why do we still have such miseducation and rubbish on our airwaves?
I would like people to forgive this traitor, he has been to parliament for a year without making any contribution on the national issues so he want his people to hear him. Too much pitoo and dog meat has meat has damaged his thinking capability.
I cannot imagine if Akuffo-Addo government did not buy fit-for-purpose ambulances, Apiate/Bogoso tragegic accident would have been worse with a lot of people dead by now. This is one of the main reasons NDC and Ato should account in court. Buying ambulances which couldn't be used and wasting funds was like carrying out a mass murder. This MP has disappointed me and Ghanaians, big time. I doubt if this MP has a conscience at all to say this at this time. Very disappointing and I don't know what they take Ghanaians for?
Mr. Portrayed Upright and Know-All, what would you have wanted done? Did the state pay monies for ambulances? Did we receive them? Did correspondences to stop payment transpire? Were payments made after the correspondences? So Mr. Portrayed Upright and Know-All with all these, if they’re what they said to be: what do you expect done? I beg make you tell us now wai, y3 pa wo kyew
Funny political game by this MP. How can charging a person in court of law be an attempt to cow an MP? It is accountability time and this is before a court of law. Ato is not guilty until proven beyond reasonable doubts and he has a lawyer unlike a poor Ghanaian who steals a goat and gets 12 months or more jail term. Let us wait and see. No funny tricks, politicians.
And such a person was a police officer who is now a law maker! Who once , and still SWORE to the Laws of Ghana? Cry my beloved Country. Cry Africa.