“This is organised crime” – Atta Mills tears into Health Ministry over unpaid GH¢10m car loans
The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Samuel Atta Mills, has accused the Ministry of Health of running what he called “organised crime” over car loans that have gone unpaid for years. At a PAC sitting on Thursday, October 8, officials from the ministry told the committee they have recovered just GH¢487,000 of […]
Ranking Member of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Samuel Atta Mills, has criticized the Ministry of Health for engaging in "organised crime" regarding unpaid car loans totaling GH¢10.7 million. At a PAC meeting on Thursday, Atta Mills expressed his concern, stating that the ministry had recovered only GH¢487,000 of the outstanding amount as of September.
The issue began, according to Atta Mills, when the ministry provided cars to individuals who did not qualify, and it was left to the recipients to decide when and how they would pay.
He questioned how the ministry could justify such practices, especially when it involved individuals who had retired or passed away without clearing their loans. Atta Mills vowed to identify and publicly reveal the names of such beneficiaries. When asked about the amount owed by retired and deceased beneficiaries, officials indicated that they did not have that information readily available and promised to provide it later.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has been assisting in the recovery efforts by refusing to renew the roadworthy certificates of defaulters until their loans are settled. This has resulted in the recovery of GH¢487,000 so far. The ministry has acknowledged that about 597 beneficiaries have defaulted, but the audit report suggests the figure is closer to 590, with 234 of them still employed by the public sector.
The ministry claims that about GH¢8.86 million is currently owed by those who defaulted, while the rest have either retired or passed away. They stated that they had requested the Controller and Accountant General's Department (CAGD) in February 2026 to start deducting the owed amount from the salaries of those still on the payroll.
The ministry expects that the deductions will begin in October 2026, clearing the debt within two financial years. However, the deductions have yet to commence, causing frustration among committee members.
Written by urgent.news from Adom Online's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
