No conspiracy to kill CMS case; lack of proper investigation killing case - A-G

Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Gloria Akuffo, has rubbished claims that there is a conspiracy to kill the arson case in the fire that razed down Ghana’s medical repository, the Central Medical Stores (CMS), in Tema in 2015.

The suspected arsonist was named as Samuel Dogbe, who used to be a labourer at the CMS. The government directed the interdiction of 12 officials of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) who were suspected to have played various roles in the fire outbreak at the Central Medical Stores (CMS) in Tema in 2015. Donors have pushed government to probe the matter and bring perpetrators to book.

The Minister reacting to the issue in an interview with journalists said ‘’there seems to be a perception out that, perhaps there is some conspiracy to kill that case. Speaking for myself, that cannot be the situation.’’

According to her, the suspected arson took place in 2015 and as many as 18 persons were accused and the arson involved ‘’many many drugs’’ of different values. She said there were many drugs destroyed in the fire and on the docket, the suspects were to be charged for causing financial loss to the state and we needed to know the amount involved for each of the 18 suspects but ‘’it was not there.’’

She also indicated that, instructions were given for a separation to be done because the arson happened on the suspicion of malfeasance.

Madam Akuffo said the person who is suspected to have caused the fire ''is still at large''. She also blamed the public for failing to support the state in dealing with those who caused the arson.

She said the law requires that, even a private person could use a reasonable force to arrest a suspect and hand same to the police. She said if indeed people know where this man who has fled is hiding, ''I think that it is a binding responsibility of that person to give the information to the police.

She described the case as a complex one and because of that, an advice was given that, the prosecutors go to the bank accounts of the suspects ‘’so we could see if there could be tracing of what happened,’’ she said, adding

‘’some of them were suspected to have collected drugs and sold them to private entities. Some of them are suspected to have taken expired drugs from private persons and substituted them. It is quite a complex piece of case and we need the assistance. We don’t investigate, we need the assistance of the investigators before we can proceed further,’’ she concluded.