CMS fire: NDC didn’t destroy evidence – Segbefia

Former Health Minister Dr Alex Segbefia has rebuffed claims by current Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang-Manu that the past National Democratic Congress (NDC) government destroyed evidence in connection with the Central Medical Stores (CMS) arson at Tema two years ago.

He insists that enough evidence have been gathered by various security institutions to prosecute those involved. He added that claims by Mr Agyemang-Manu of the removal of debris in order to conceal evidence is false as the action was taken to pave way for reconstruction of the medical store.

“We had made a pledge to Ghanaians that we will build the Central Medical Stores within a year…we were about to begin. We knew the company because the company had done a contract for the Central Medical Stores of which there was a balance of four million outstanding,” he explained on Friday, November 24 in an interview with Accra based Joy FM.

He said they were advised to proceed with work because there was assurance of financial clearance to “clear the site, 'don’t lay a brick or do anything was my instruction because if you start and we don’t have the rest of the money it will become a problem'”.

“So, the site was cleared, waiting for confirmation from Finance and that never came so the work came to a halt,” he added.

He further explained that: “A forensic investigation and scientific investigation had been carried out by the Fire Service” adding “the security agencies had been there and documented everything that was at the site and those documents exist with the security agencies as we speak namely, either CID or National Security.”

Mr Agyemang-Manu had said on the same radio platform that: “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?”

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,” he said.

"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 added.

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 afterward.

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