I’m glad I’m clean - Sylvester Mensah

Sylvester Mensah has said he is happy no wrongdoing has been found against him as far as the running of the National Health Insurance Authority under his tenure was concerned.

Mr Mensah expressed his happiness in an interview with Class News on Thursday June 9 hours after the Financial Division of the Accra High Court ordered that all his bank accounts and assets be released.

The Financial Intelligence Centre (FCI) had earlier secured permission from the court to freeze the bank accounts of the former NHIA CEO following investigations into his tenure of office.

According to the FIC, after investigations were concluded, they could not associate Mr Mensah with any illegality.

Mr Mensah’s bank accounts were frozen in January this year after an ex-parte application sought by the Financial Intelligence Centre.

This was in line with the BNI’s investigations into an alleged false claim by some 10 medical facilities, with suspicions that the processes were compromised.

There were speculations in January that arrest of the former La Dade Kotopon MP could be linked to a grand effort to scuttle a possible presidential ambition he could be nursing. Days after his arrest, the governing National Democratic Congress’ La Dade Kotopon Communication Director, Lawrence Lamptey, said: “Mr Sylvester Mensah is a young promising man… he might be thinking of being President…we believe he has a future and his image shouldn’t be dented,” he told Ekow Mensah-Shalders on Class91.3fm’s Executive Breakfast Show on Friday January 7, as he condemned the arrest.

“He has a political future of course… he has been an MP before, he has served in different capacities in the party and other levels, he has also served in government, he is still serving in government. So, he is still young, youthful, and active. He will still be aspiring for bigger positions; definitely, so, if he is eyeing a presidential position, I wouldn’t be shocked at all,” Mr Lamptey said.

I’ll be cleared

Days after his arrest Mr Mensah said no evidence of fraud had been established against him, as far as the BNI’s probe into his tenure was concerned.

Mr Mensah, who is also a presidential staffer, said he was confident he will come out of the probe unscathed.

“I have submitted myself to the BNI and I have responded to most of the questions. I’m still waiting for further questions, if they have. As we speak today, what I can assure you of, is that of all the discussions that we have had, there is nothing that makes Sylvester Mensah guilty of fraud.

“The interaction with the BNI has been very cordial. It is their responsibility, they have a duty, it is within their mandate to undertake that exercise, and I have submitted myself to them and I can assure you that we are going to end this exercise without any scratch,” he told angry party members and fans in the constituency.

Constituency Anger and lock-up of NDC office

The party supporters in the constituency, days after Mr Mensah’s arrest, locked up all party offices and ceased all party activity in protest against the probe, which Mr Mensah was being subjected to, at the time. But Mr Mensah told them: “There is no reason for us to say that we are closing down our offices or that we are suspending party activity.”