The Member of Parliament for Dormaa East has called on North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to retract his statements and apologize over his claims regarding the ambulance servicing contract.

In an interview with JoyNews, Paul Apreku Twum-Barimah described Mr Ablakwa's accusations as "quite unfortunate" and suggested that Ablakwa's figures were incorrect.

• Read also: Ofori-Atta approved ‘shady’ $34.9m ambulance deal days before leaving office – Ablakwa alleges

He clarified that, contrary to Ablakwa's claims, the government paid only $10 million for the contract, not the $34.9 million stated by Ablakwa.

The Dormaa East MP explained that "if all the money mentioned by Ablakwa is calculated, it sums up to $120 million, but the Finance Minister had approved only $10 million on February 9th to the controller."

Ambulance Servicing Contract: Govt paid 10 million dollars, not 34 million, retract and apologize - Dormaa East MP to Ablakwa. #JoyNews pic.twitter.com/JX7LfSVy8d

— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) July 22, 2024

He urged Ablakwa to carefully review documents before making public statements and to "apologize to former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and former Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu that yes, I got the date right but the documentation was wrong and I don’t think it will hurt him.”

“It is quite unfortunate to defame someone for amount of money he has not paid. When you critically analyse the document, the amount you are talking about has not been issued,” he said.

The Dormaa East MP emphasized that acknowledging the mistake and apologizing for the error would not harm Ablakwa but instead bolster his reputation for integrity.

Read also: Why spend $113k on spare parts when it can buy a fully equipped ambulance? – Ablakwa asks

This comes after Mr Ablakwa revealed a purportedly shady ambulance procurement deal worth $34.9 million (GH₵538 million) accusing Ken Ofori-Atta and Kwaku Agyeman-Manu of facilitating the deal through their positions.

Mr Ablakwa noted that the beneficiary company, Service Ghana Auto Group Limited, was incorporated on April 24, 2020, and suggested the deal was part of a "lootocratic" conspiracy by the two ministers. He criticized their actions as financially harmful, citing previous scandals and mismanagement.

He specifically mentioned that on February 9, 2024, Ken Ofori-Atta approved $34.9 million for the procurement of spare parts for 307 ambulances purchased in 2019. On the same day, Ofori-Atta directed the release of $10 million (GH₵120,711,000) to the company.

Read also: Ablakwa heads to OSP over Ofori-Atta’s $34.9m ‘shady’ ambulance spare parts deal

Meanwhile, reacting to the Dormaa East Mps assertion on Joy FM's Newsnight, Mr Ablakwa noted that his demands were unnecessary as his figures were accurate.

He also advised the Dormaa East MP to seek clarification before commenting on an issue if he has little information.