Former Health Minister, Kweku Agyeman Manu has adamantly defended his conduct in obtaining Sputnik V vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago. He has refuted accusations and described the circumstances as perhaps being set up to harm him.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Dormaa Central stressed that he did not carry out the procurement alone and suggested that certain people were working together to discredit him. He emphasized that, during the pandemic, preserving Ghanaian lives was his top priority, dismissing any other concerns that could have been relevant at the time.
On Wednesday, February 21, he expressed his dissatisfaction with certain legislative colleagues who, in his opinion, did not understand his arguments in an interview with Starr FM.
Even after being found not guilty, he bemoaned the fact that his explanations were rejected by the Parliamentary health committee.
“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.’ No matter how much I tried to explain, the health committee in Parliament would not accept anything,” he stated.
The lawmaker revealed that he felt so disheartened during the episode that he considered requesting charges to be brought against him in court. Despite challenges, he asserted his dedication to serving the nation and adhering to due processes during the procurement, vehemently denying any wrongdoing or violation of the law.
“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 stated.
“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,” he explained.
“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,” he insisted.
The former Health Minister remains resolute in maintaining his innocence and highlighting his commitment to the well-being of Ghanaians during challenging times.
NKONKONSA.com