By Bubu Klinogo.
Former Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has denied any wrongdoing in the importation of ambulances during the erstwhile NDC administration.
Dr. Forson and two others were Thursday arraigned before an Accra High Court for causing financial loss to the state in the procurement of the said ambulances.
Addressing the media in Parliament House on Friday, Dr. Forson said he played no role in the procurement of the ambulances.
According to him, the only thing he did was to authorize a letter of credit on the authority of the minister of finance. He believes if there is any loss, those who left the ambulances to rot must be held responsible.
”I was not part of the procurement and in fact the procurement started in the year 2012. I was a back-bencher in this house, I wasn’t part of the administration at the time, in plain language I wasn’t a Minister of State so I wasn’t invited, between 2012 to date my only involvement is a letter written on the Authority of the Finance Minister requesting the Controller and Accountant General to work with the Minister responsible of Health and the Ministry of Health in establishing Letters of Credit, even when the Letter of Credit was actually established they did not write to me I had no knowledge I have never been part of it only until I left office before they called me. I have knowledge about the matter in fact I don’t even know the other people they’ve charged, I have no knowledge at all about the matter so clearly I’m not involved.”
”Let me say that yes it’s not about me absorbing myself but to let the people of Ghana be aware the role I have cleared and clearly this is witch hunting but let me tell the government that I am not a witch that they should hunt they should look for the witch. The witch is the person who allowed the Ambulances that came in to rot he is the witch that should be hunted and the fact is in contract administration there is something we call mitigation of losses it the Ambulances of cause has been taken over by the State the government could have spent probably some small amount to fix it rather than allowing it to rot so if I’m in a position could also file charges against the person who allowed it to rot. I would have to check with my lawyers if a private citizen can also sue someone for causing financial lost to the State,” according to Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
