‘He is by no means a free man’ — Kwakye Ofosu says Agyeman-Manu faces imminent prosecution
The Minister in Charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, says former Minister for Health and Member of Parliament for Dormaa Central, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, will soon face prosecution in two separate criminal cases linked to COVID-19 transactions.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu said the former minister had previously been arrested and questioned by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), and that two completed dockets relating to the cases have been forwarded to the Office of the Attorney-General.
He explained that the cases concern the procurement of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine and an arrangement involving Frontiers Health Service Limited during the COVID-19 border screening programme.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu made the disclosure during an interview on the PM Express programme on JoyNews on March 11, 2026.
According to him, Mr Agyeman-Manu wrote a caution statement after his arrest and interrogation by the NIB.
“He was arrested by NIB. He was interrogated. He wrote a caution statement. The docket on him has been built, two of them. And he will be taken to court very soon and charged,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu said in the interview.
Claims disputed
Mr Kwakye Ofosu said recent public comments by Mr Agyeman-Manu, suggesting that he had not been questioned under the government’s Operation Recover All Loot initiative, popularly known as ORAL, were inaccurate.
“I noticed that he has been in the news, engaging in bluster and claiming that nobody has touched him. That is not true,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu said. “He is by no means a free man.”
He added that the charges under consideration include causing financial loss to the state, breaches of procurement laws and other related offences.
“In a matter of days, we will go to court. It is not just one case, two different cases. The documents are before the Attorney-General as I speak,” he said.
Sputnik V controversy
The Sputnik V vaccine transaction came under public scrutiny in 2021 after a parliamentary ad hoc committee reported that Ghana had procured the Russian-manufactured COVID-19 vaccine through a Dubai-based intermediary at 19 dollars per dose, although the manufacturer’s price was 10 dollars.
The committee also found that Mr Agyeman-Manu had not sought parliamentary approval before signing the agreement.
Mr Agyeman-Manu served as Minister for Health from 2017 until February 2024 under the administration of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, when he was removed during a ministerial reshuffle.
Border screening arrangement
The second case relates to the management of Ghana’s COVID-19 border screening programme at Kotoka International Airport.
During his parliamentary vetting, Mr Agyeman-Manu acknowledged that Frontiers Health Service Limited had operated at the airport during the pandemic without a licence.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu said the fact that the former minister was not kept in custody after his arrest was consistent with normal criminal procedure.
“Of course, until he is convicted, his liberties will be granted him. He can go wherever he wants. But he is being dealt with by the appropriate security agencies,” he said.
He explained that people standing trial in Ghana are often allowed to attend court proceedings without being remanded unless there are exceptional circumstances.
ORAL investigations
Mr Kwakye Ofosu further disclosed that about 140 individuals linked to cases under the ORAL initiative have so far been questioned by security agencies, including the Criminal Investigation Department, the National Intelligence Bureau and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
He added that EOCO alone had completed 27 dockets, which are currently under review by the Office of the Attorney-General.
