The Director of Legal services of the National Democratic Congress, Edudzi Tameklo has explained that it took one year for the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Dame to be reported to the General Legal Council for discipline because he was untouchable at the time of the incident.
Commenting on the matter on TV3’s KeyPoints on May 24, Mr Tameklo said in answer to a question on why it took this long that, “Godfred Dame was untouchable between 2021 and 2024. He was untouchable.”
Godfred Dame was heard on a leaked video telling a suspect in the Ambulance purchase trial, Richard Jakpa, to obtain excuse duty to enable him absent himself from court. He also told Mr Jakpa to lie against his co-accused, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, together with whom he (Jakpa) had been accused of causing financial loss to the state.
On May 22, a private citizen, Daniel Kwame Ofosu-Appiah, filed the petition at the Council. He cited alleged grave ethical breaches and seeks disciplinary action under Ghana’s Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32).
In a detailed petition , Mr. Ofosu-Appiah alleged that Mr. Dame attempted to improperly influence a key witness in the case—Mr. Richard Jakpa, the third accused—in a manner that compromises the fairness and integrity of the judicial process.
Mr Tameklo added that, “the last Bar meeting when the Bar Council met and the question was whether or not Godfred should go to the Bar conference in Kumasi and whether he can deliver a speech, the Bar Council itself were divided. In fact, some of the Bar Council members said no, he needed to apologise because as the leader of the Bar, what happened relative to the Richard Jakpa matter had brought so much opprobrium and public ridicule to the entire work of lawyers and that it offends specific rules of engagement. So some Bar Council members said, in view of this, they will not allow him to give a speech at the conference. It was a split at the Council. I am telling you that during that period, Godfred was just untouchable.
