Mahama's government 'destroyed' CMS arson evidence - Health Minister

Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang-Manu has accused the Mahama administration of destroying important evidence in relation to the Central Medical Stores (CMS) arson at Tema two years ago.

“When a place gets burnt and you go and do investigations and you say that they should go and do forensic audit and then you hire caterpillars to clear the site, and at the same time ask that we do a forensic audit, with what on-site evidence are we going to do a forensic audit,” Mr Agyemang-Manu asked.

As far as Mr Agyemang-Manu is concerned, the Mahama administration was complicit in the whole matter.

“They wanted to destroy evidence and then they will just stall the progress of information.”

It would be recalled that on January 13, 2015, the CMS was consumed by fire, resulting in the destruction of medical supplies and equipment.

Subsequently, an investigation was carried out and the report pointed out that it was arson. The suspected arsonist was named as Samuel Dogbe, who used to be a labourer at the CMS.

Subsequently, the government interdicted some 12 officials of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) who were suspected to have played various roles in the fire outbreak at the CMS. Not much progress has been made to bring the perpetrators to book afterwards.

"It was a deliberate action to put the forensic audit there as a recommendation, 'let us go and destroy evidence and then the thing will not hold,'” Mr Agyemang-Manu said, pointing accusing fingers at the past government during an interview on Accra-based Joy FM on Friday, 24 November.

Meanwhile, the lack of prosecution has resulted in threats by international donors to withdraw assistance to the Health Ministry.