The Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, is praying the country does not incur a judgement debt on its hands in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) First Aid Kit saga
He prefers a thorough probe into the issue so the "poor taxpayer" does not "bear the brunt".
“This DVLA first aid kit; are we sure there is no binding agreement? Are we sure there is no potential judgment debt because how did kit arrive and they were positioned at all the vehicle registration centres across the country? They have already been sold; we don’t know the kind of agreement that whoever private collaborator is holding and what are the terms and so there are fundamental questions that we should be asking and we hope that again somebody is not going to go to court; win a judgment debt and the poor tax payer bear the brunt…” he said during a panel discussion on Joy FM’s Newsfile programme, Saturday.
The DVLA introduced the compulsory charge of Ghc108 for the acquisition of First Aid Kits for new vehicle owners seeking to register their vehicles.
This decision was met with stiff opposition from vehicle owners, who argued that they reserve the right to purchase such items by themselves at a cheaper cost.
The Ministry of Transport subsequently instructed management of the DVLA, to immediately halt mandatory charges for First Aid kits.
Subsequently, the DVLA issued a statement, apologising and suspending the charges for the first aid kits.
Reports that emerged after the suspension indicate that the DVLA are unwilling to refund the monies of those who have already paid for the first aid kits.
However, Mr Ablakwa says the authority cannot say they will not refund the money.
According to him, “refunds should happen”
Meanwhile, the North Tongu MP does not understand why the DVLA will engage in such an ‘illegality’ and yet nobody is being sanctioned.
“I am not too sure of the stories of they not being aware…I think that when it goes bad then they ask somebody to take the fall because how can I explain the reason behind nobody being sanctioned publicly? No chief executive is losing their position…” he added.
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