Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to Petition OSP over $34.9 Million Ambulance Spare Parts Scandal
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu is petitioning the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to investigate payment of $34.9 million to a company for the supply of ambulance spare parts. He told Accra based Joy FM that he will petition the OSP later on Monday July 22, adding that a quick action by the OSP can save Ghana some money, since not the entire amount of money due the suppliers have been paid.
The MP who revealed the scandal involving $34.9 million (GH₵538 million) for ambulance spare parts in a Facebook post on July 22, 2024, shared evidence showing that Service Ghana Auto Group Limited, the company involved, inflated invoices to make an additional GH₵653 million.
The scandal took place just before Ken Ofori-Atta left the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa alleged. According to the documents shared by the MP, on February 9, 2024, Mr. Ofori-Atta approved the payment of $34,904,505 for spare parts for 307 ambulances bought in 2019. This amount, converted to GH₵120,711,000, was transferred to Service Ghana Auto Group Limited on February 23, 2024. This breaks down to $113,695,456 per ambulance, much more than the cost of buying a new ambulance.
Service Ghana Auto Group Limited, which was established on April 24, 2020, was chosen without a proper bidding process, the MP alleged. The company had already received GH₵115,342,573 for servicing the ambulances between 2020 and 2023, bringing the total to GH₵653 million—more than twice the original cost of the ambulances.
A Performance Audit Report from May 25, 2022, also posted by the MP criticized the company for inflating invoices, using National Ambulance Service staff for maintenance while billing for it, missing maintenance schedules, and failing to benefit the National Ambulance Service.
Despite these issues, the government awarded the contract to the same company, which had previously been caught misusing an ambulance to transport cement, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa stated. He is calling for a criminal investigation into this matter to ensure accountability and protect public funds.
