ASEPA demands Action on 2015 Central Medical Stores Fire, Calls for Accountability in Vaccine Scandal

The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), led by Executive Director Mensah Thompson, held a press conference to raise urgent concerns regarding the 2015 fire at Ghana’s Central Medical Stores (CMS) in Tema. The fire, which caused an estimated GH¢273 million in damages, destroyed critical medical supplies, including donations funded by the United States and the United Kingdom.

Since the incident, the international community has called for justice, with both the US Ambassador and the UK government expressing concerns over the lack of action.

During the conference, ASEPA urged the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to release findings from its 2018 investigation, which reportedly confirmed earlier indictments of twelve suspects, including former CMS Head of Procurement, Caleb Romeo Kofi Tetteh, who is now a chief in Yilo Krobo. ASEPA alleges that instead of facing prosecution, Tetteh was promoted within the Ministry of Health and later implicated in the 2020 Sputnik V vaccine scandal.

ASEPA is demanding immediate public access to the EOCO report on the CMS fire, the prosecution of the indicted individuals, and the release of the Sputnik V investigation report. They also called on the media to spotlight the case to ensure accountability for both the CMS arson and the vaccine procurement scandal, emphasizing that justice is essential for restoring trust among Ghana’s development partners and donors.