The Ministry of Health has interdicted the Transport Manager of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the Northern Region, Timothy Banzaazi, following allegations that he illegally sold three official state vehicles for a paltry sum of GHS 13,000.
The suspect has also been formally handed over to the Ghana Police Service for further investigation and criminal prosecution.
The directive, sanctioned by the Ministry’s leadership, forms part of immediate measures to enforce accountability and protect public property within state health institutions.
The suspect is accussed of disposing of the official state vehicles without due process, missing mandatory approvals from the Ministry of Health, the GHS Internal Audit, or the Disposal of Unserviceable State Property directives governed by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).
Preliminary findings reveal that the vehicles were auctioned off or transferred under private terms far below their valuation, raising serious concerns regarding fraudulent disposal of state assets.
The Ministry of Health reiterated its commitment to zero tolerance for corruption, misapplication of public assets, and administrative breaches across all regional health directorates.
Appearing before the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, noted Banzaazi sold the vehicles without disclosing the transactions to the appropriate authorities.
He stated that the total amount involved was GH¢13,803, of which the officer had accounted for the proceeds relating to three vehicles.
“Honourable Chair, the total amount is GH¢13,803. The amount that I mentioned is for three cars. Four were returned. He was able to return four of the seven cars,” he said.
“We reported him to the police. They are handling it as a criminal case. We used our disciplinary proceedings, and he’s been suspended temporarily. And we made sure that he paid the full amount,” he added.
Reacting to the story, the Ranking Member of PAC, Samuel Attah-Mills, questioned why Banzaazi was allowed to remain out of custody after allegedly selling seven state-owned vehicles without authorisation or accounting for the proceeds.
“Director-General, I disagree with you on the form of punishment. Here is a guy. He wasn’t supposed to sell these vehicles. He sold them without disclosing to anybody, and he didn’t account for the money.”
“He sold seven of your vehicles, and he’s walking free,” he added.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
