88 hospitals: Minister jabs Mahama over corrupt uncompleted hospital projects

Minister of State at the Office of the President, in charge of State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA), Dr. Kwaku Afriyie has argued that some public officials that served under Ex- President John Mahama’s administration would have been jailed if not for the COVID 19 pandemic, for their involvement in corruption related matters in the construction of health infrastructure projects initiated by the NDC government.

According to Dr. Afriyie, the state had already completed auditing and other investigations into some contracts signed by the ‘previous government’ for the construction of these facilities across the country.

He hasten to add that, government was about prosecuting public officials who have been indicted by the audit reports but had to be withheld so they could attend to ‘much pressing matters’- the COVID 19 pandemic.

“We are not just auditing these projects. Truth be told, this would have become a big issue in the country if the we weren’t hit by this coronavirus” he told host of Skyy Power Fm political show [Oman Ghana], Mpimpimhene Nana Gyetuah.

Dr. Afriyie stressed that the ‘political outcry’ by the former President and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that government had abandoned health projects initiated during their tenure, is just to ‘brainwash’ Ghanaians on the truth about their misdeeds.

“They now have the guts to speak about these projects because they know they have a window to, due to pandemic, …all because Ghanaians will not be interested in this politics. Maybe they are lucky.

“…some of them will go to jail because they padded some contracts by 30- 40 percent, and claimed those monies. It is just criminal” Dr Afriyie stated.

But Ex- President, John Dramani Mahama says these audits and investigations caused into projects his administration initiated, are needless, a parliamentary approval was granted those contracts before they commenced.