Member of Parliament for Dormaa Central constituency and former health minister, Kweku Agyeman Manu, has maintained his innocence in the purchase of the Sputnik V vaccine for the country at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He described the entire backlash from the deal as perhaps being a set-up designed to discredit him.
Mr. Agyeman Manu emphasised that he did not carry out the purchasing process on his own and said that some people were working together to disgrace him.
He insisted that, at the time, preserving Ghanaian lives was his priority during the pandemic, disregarding any other concerns.
The Dormaa Central Member of Parliament highlighted that he has been exonerated of any wrongdoing during an interview with Starr FM on Wednesday, February 21. This is because no negative findings have been found against him.
He expressed displeasure, pointing out that he was frustrated by some of his fellow parliamentarians who did not understand his arguments.
He stated, amongst other things, that, “I had done no wrong, but some people just wanted to pitch me up and put wrongdoing on me. I was doing that one in good faith, collaborating, and having meetings, I didn’t do that transaction myself alone. Then all of a sudden, “You didn’t come to Parliament, in an emergency.”
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“No matter how much I tried to explain, the health committee in Parliament would not accept anything. At one stage, I got so down that I was even requesting that they charge me to court because I thought that my explanations would have been accepted in court rather than in front of my own colleagues on the committee. Whether it was mischief or something, I wouldn’t be able to tell, but that was what happened,” he added.
He insisted that he followed all legal procedures during the purchase and categorically denied any misconduct or breaking of the law.
“Subsequently, even when that was dying down, another group in the chamber was trying to cite me for perjury, and they were asking for a censure motion on me. These were times that I felt that I had done so well, I was working so hard to try to keep us alive even in the midst of a massive pandemic on the globe. But despite all that, I managed to continue to do what I was doing to save the lives in Ghana.”
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“I don’t know what is going to happen, but that is what it is. I will still insist and continue to say I did no wrong. I never can be cited for any wrongdoing. But it gave me pressure because that was in my nature,” said Mr Agyeman Manu.
The legislator underscored that, despite the difficulties he faced throughout the incident. He said he is unwavering in his position and that he gave his all to serving the country.