Justice Abdulai, a private legal practitioner and law lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Law School, has asked for a review of all cases of public interest prosecuted by the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame.
He says the call has become necessary considering the matters arising out of the ongoing ambulance purchase trial where the A-G has been accused of leading a defendant to falsify his testimony against one of the accused persons, Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson.
Speaking with Alfred Ocansey on Ghana Tonight Thursday, May 30, 2024, the law lecturer indicated that what is coming out of this matter might have occurred in other cases Godfred Dame has handled, the reason his cases, particularly criminal ones of public interest, should be reviewed.
“And for me, Alfred, this particular conduct, I mean, calls for a complete review of almost every other public interest case that the Attorney-General has prosecuted because we do not know the extent to which this conduct has been going on. And so, if I had the authority, I would strongly call for a review of every single case, every single criminal case in particular, that the office has prosecuted for the past seven years. But we need a review. We need to understand. We need to know the extent to which some of these conducts, if you like, misconducts have gone on,” he reiterated.
He noted further that “it will amaze you that the number of people who probably would come out to confess to some of these witness tampering and, if you like, agitations and subtle means of achieving what may seem to be justice, but when in actual fact is some kind of persecution. Because this really is not even on the borderlines of plea bargaining, as we know it within the space of the law.”
He continued that there could be other cases he prosecuted that might have suffered the same fate as the ongoing ambulance trial.
“If some of these things happen behind the scenes, if any of these things happen behind
the scenes, how could we assure ourselves that indeed the conviction that was on the
face of whatever judgment was obtained was indeed obtained genuinely? We need to go
back, try to make an attempt to know what has gone under the bridge. And it is the best
way to judge the conduct of the Attorney General appropriately. But in this instance, he needs to step aside,” he indicated.
His comments come on the back of an application filed by the third accused in the ongoing ambulance purchase trial, Richard Jakpa, seeking the A-G’s office to dismiss the charges against him after telling him (Jakpa) that he is not guilty of any of the charges against him.
In his witness statement, Mr. Jakpa testified under oath that the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has had several interactions with him, during which Dame assured him of his innocence and guaranteed his acquittal.
Jakpa further alleges that Dame informed him his inclusion in the prosecution was to disguise the true motive behind the trial.
He claims Dame initiated the action due to pressure from President Akufo-Addo and then Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to persecute Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the then-Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament and now Minority Leader.
Jakpa is requesting the court to allow him to testify to these matters and to be cross-examined.
