ASEPA Pressures Authorities on Unresolved Central Medical Stores Fire, Seeks Accountability for Alleged Arsonists

The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), led by Executive Director Mensah Thompson, has 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 damage, destroyed critical medical supplies, including those funded by the United States and the United Kingdom. Since the incident, the international community has pressed for justice, with both the US Ambassador and the UK government voicing concerns over the lack of action.

During the conference, ASEPA called for the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to release its findings from an investigation launched in 2018, which reportedly confirms earlier indictments of twelve suspects, including former CMS Head of Procurement, Caleb Romeo Kofi Tetteh, now a chief in Yilo Krobo. 

ASEPA alleges that instead of facing prosecution, Tetteh was promoted within the Ministry of Health and was later implicated in the 2020 Sputnik V vaccine scandal.

ASEPA’s demands include immediate public access to the EOCO report on the CMS fire, prosecution of those indicted, and the release of the Sputnik V investigation report. 

They urged the media to spotlight the case to ensure accountability for both the CMS arson and the vaccine procurement scandal, emphasizing that justice is vital for restoring trust among Ghana’s development partners and donors.