The opposition APNU+AFC yesterday asked for an explanation on due diligence of the purchase of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines, following government’s revelation in the National Assembly on Monday night that the jabs were procured from Dubai’s Sheik Ahmed Dalmook Al-Maktoum who has been linked to the sheltering of a wanted Pakistani national and Norwegian fraudster.
“A full explanation … is demanded of President Irfaan Ali by the Guyanese people,” a release from Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon said yesterday.
On Monday night during the sitting of the National Assembly and responding to questions from the Opposition, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony had revealed that Guyana had purchased over $2B in Sputnik vaccines from Sheik Ahmed Dalmook Al-Maktoum’s company. Al-Maktoum had visited Guyana last year November in a blaze of publicity and ostensibly to invest in various sectors here including agriculture. There has been no further word on this.
Contacted by Stabroek News, Anthony yesterday echoed most of what he told the House on Monday, as he emphasized that government’s focus then at the time of soliciting jabs was the protection and well-being of its population at a time when the developed world had grabbed most of the vaccines.
“The Ministry of Health on behalf of the Government of Guyana, we have a contact with the private office of the Sheik and they have been delivering vaccines. To date we have received those and we have some more as per contract and we continue to work with them to ensure we get the remainder.
“At the time we secured the vaccines there was a global pandemic and global scarcity. Our main interest then, as is now, is securing vaccines for our population. We had approached both Pfizer and Moderna and they had indicated that they could not meet the request until 2022. Knowing that Russia had Sputnik, we also directly approached the Russian Sovereign Fund. We had several discussions with them but we were unable to secure vaccines directly through them,” he added.
With only a limited amount of vaccines to be had through the WHO’s COVAX mechanism, and countries scampering to solicit Sputnik doses after hearing of its efficacy, government learned that the Sheik’s company had access to jabs.
“We became aware that Sheik Dalmook’s company was a supplier and we approached it and was successful in getting the required number of doses we sought,” Anthony explained, as he emphasized that when in a critical situation with demand shortages, the first priority is security compared to negotiating for cheaper prices, as the lives of citizens cannot be calculated in dollars and cents.
The Minister of Health on Monday told the House that the PPP/C administration had procured 200,000 doses of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines at a cost of $957,000,000 from Al-Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates.
In addition, Anthony further disclosed that the PPP/C government intended to procure an additional 58,000 Sputnik V vaccines from Al-Maktoum, pegged at $275,964,000.
The total amounts to $1,232,964,000 from Sheik Al-Maktoum in two orders.
Anthony said that when he was asked by Harmon if he knew the middleman alleged to be selling the vaccines through the Sheik he said no because this country has no contract with the person whose name Harmon called but with a company of the Sheik’s.
And when this country did its due diligence it was also of the company proposing the deal and not an individual.
‘Intermediaries’
Referring to the Norway news outlet, Harmon said that the investigative report has revealed that Pakistani national Umar Farooq Zahoor , who grew up in Norway, and is wanted in that country as part of an investigation into a massive fraud was the Sheik’s right hand man. The newspaper claimed that Zahoor is being sheltered and protected by the United Arab Emirates.
It says too that Norwegian Per Morten Hansen who has been convicted for several financial crimes, is wanted by Belgium and is under investigation in Norway for alleged tax fraud and is allegedly the middle man in the selling of the Sputnik vaccines for the Sheik. It says that he is a close associate of Sheik Al-Maktoum.
“VG has documented how intermediaries have obtained the Sputnik vaccine and are re-selling it at a premium. Through investigations in countries including Ghana, Russia, Pakistan, Guyana, Iraq, VG has been able to document how the Russian vaccines have travelled via a Sheik in the Emirates and round the world. Among those involved are at least one individual with a long and troubled past with the law in Norway.”
Hansen has reportedly denied being part of any vaccine trade.
“On 19 November last year a private plane lands in Guyana, one of South America’s poorest countries. Out steps Sheik Al-Maktoum, dressed in traditional white garbs. Right behind the Sheik is Umar Farooq Zahoor with a wheeled suitcase and sweatsuit,” the article states as it pointed to wanted man Zahoor.
VG said that it last month asked a local reporter to ask Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, at its request, which country it got the vaccines from and how much was paid.
Noting that the Russians state that they sell the vaccine for approximately US$10 dollars per dose, internationally, Jagdeo had said that Guyana paid US$20 per dose or $10,000 per person for both doses.
Harmon says that “It is evident that the PPP did not exercise due diligence in its attempt to purchase vaccines”.
