Prosecute all Central Medical Stores culprits - Joyce Zempare tells AG

A member of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Board, Mrs. Joyce Zempare, has urged the Minister of Justice and Attorney General Hon. Gloria Akuffo to prosecute all those who were interdicted for playing various roles in the burning of Central Medical Stores two years ago.

According to her, the inability of the state in prosecuting the culprits would embolden others from doing same.

“I am appealing to the Attorney General to revisit the Central Medical Stores issue and deal with it immediately because a lot of people are wondering why those people are still walking freely in town,” she said.

It would be recalled that Ghana’s medical repository, Central Medical Stores located in Tema on January 13, 2015 was razed down by fire.

This resulted in over GHS 200million worth of medicines and other equipments medical being lost.

It emerged after thorough investigations into the matter by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and National Security that the fire was caused by a suspected arsonist one Samuel Dogbe, who was a labourer at CMS.

Samuel Dogbe was believed to have been paid to set the fire in order to destroy the evidence for an investigation that was to be conducted by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) into suspected corruption at the CMS.

Dogbe had been at large since the incident and is being sought after by the national security agencies.

The interdicted officials were Head of the CMS, Mr. Peter Ekow Gyimah; a member of the Interim Management Committee of the CMS, Alhaji Yusif Inua; the acting head of the CMS, Mr. Iddrisu Abdul-Karim; the Principal Pharmacist/Warehouse Manager, Ms Gifty Esi Mankartha, and a warehouse Manager, Zeboat Doh.

The rest were the Line Warehouse Manager/General Pharmaceuticals Unit, Mr. Ibrahim Laryea Amartey; another Warehouse Manager, Mr. Kwame Foli; a Warehouse Manager in charge of General Pharmaceuticals, Mr Mathias Senaya, Abdul Karim, whose designation was not stated, the Senior Supply Officer of Project Stores, Victoria Anning; the Pharmacist/Systems Analyst, Mr. James Benjamin Annan, and a storekeeper, Mr. Peter Atiaba Addah.

Speaking on Oman FM, Mrs. Joyce Zempare, who is also the Greater Accra Regional Women Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party, said Ghanaians are unhappy with the delay in prosecuting the culprits.

“It’s about time we let justice to prevail. We need to ensure that the laws are applied. There should be accountability so that wrongdoers wouldn’t see it as opportunity for them to continue to perpetuate criminal activities,” she stated.

Joyce Zempare who expressed surprise about the inability of the state security agencies in arresting Samuel Dodge urged them to hunt for him and made him to face the full rigours of the law.

“Don’t’ we have the records of Samuel Dodge who set the CMS on fire? When he was employed was his address, picture and contact not taken,” she quizzed.