{"id":354755,"date":"2017-09-19T17:13:14","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T17:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=354755"},"modified":"2017-11-10T11:18:24","modified_gmt":"2017-11-10T11:18:24","slug":"i-didnt-sanction-payment-for-useless-ambulances-ato-forson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/09\/i-didnt-sanction-payment-for-useless-ambulances-ato-forson\/","title":{"rendered":"I didn’t sanction payment for ‘useless’ ambulances – Ato Forson"},"content":{"rendered":"
Former Deputy Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, \u00a0has denied media reports suggesting that he sanctioned the purchase of some ambulances that were declared unfit\u00a0to be used for that purpose.<\/p>\n
The country incurred a $2.4 million loss after 30 ambulances were procured in 2014 by the Ministry of Health, but were later\u00a0found to be faulty.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”ddiDdqheNNg6xkKVK4Kr77ZjHKuTfebk”]With 200 ambulances originally supposed to be purchased, the government suspended the deal after the ones which had been delivered did not meet required specifications.<\/p>\n
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Minority spokesperson on Finance stated that, the Finance Ministry at the time only “issued at sight letters of credit” on behalf of the Health Ministry after they had put in a request.<\/p>\n
“The Ministry of Finance also instructed the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to pay for the bank charges accrued to the Bank of Ghana as a result of the issuance of letters of credit on behalf of the Ministry of Health,” the statement from Ato Forson said.<\/p>\n
“It is important to note that letters of credit issued by the Bank of Ghana is only a guarantee for payment and not payment in itself.”<\/p>\n
According to him, \u00a0the letter only guaranteed that payment would only be made once the supplier of the ambulances fulfilled their end of the agreement.<\/p>\n
“In modern business practice, a letter of credit (LC) also known as a Documentary Credit, is a written commitment by a bank issued after a request by an importer (foreign buyer) that payment will be made to the beneficiary (exporter) provided that the terms and conditions stated in the LC been met, as evidenced by the presentation of specified documents,” the statement added.<\/p>\n
” I, Cassiel Ato Forson acting as Deputy Minister of Finance then, never made payment to Big Seas for the supply of ambulances.<\/p>\n