Indicted for wrongful payments of over GHȻ100m to Zoomlion by the AG, Sylvester Mensah clears name

Mr Mensah, who was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NHIA from 2013 to 2015, denied the assertion that he made payments to Zoomlion without following due processes.

“All payments for MOH’s contractual obligations for which provision has been made in the NHIA budget is paid against specific request by the Minister of Health/Ministerial directive on the specific work performed and ascertained by MOH.

“Supervision of work for such payments rests with the MOH and not NHIA. This is why the specific requests are made by the Minister for Health,” Mr Mensah said in a statement clearing himself of any wrong doing.

The audit found that the NHIA, under the tenure of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential hopeful, made a payment of GHȻ111,401,650 to Zoomlion without following due processes.

The payment, which the audit found was authorized by Mr Mensah and the former DCE in charge of Finance & Investment of the Authority at the time, Alex Nartey, from June 2009 to May 2015, was contrary to Regulation 39 of Financial Administration, Regulations L.I. 1802.

Mr Mensah and Nartey, along with Zoomlion were surcharged an amount of GHȻ202,013,257 and are to refund a total amount of GHȻ313,414,907.09.

But according to Mr Mensah, the NHIA only makes payments to the service providers when directed by the Ministry of Health.

He said: “NHIA makes payment only when directed by MOH to settle MOH’s contractual obligation to Zoomlion, which they specify is the amount of work performed for them, for which budgetary provision had been made by Government/ Parliament.

“All former and current CEOs work with duly issued instructions of the MoH in accordance with the law and budgetary provisions.”