Private legal practitioner and Director of Legal Affairs of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Gary Nimako Marfo has wondered why lawyers of the third accused in the Ambulance purchase trial, Richard Jakpa did not present the tape that captured the allegation against Attorney-General Godfred Dame as part of their witness statement.
In his view, the tape is to divert attention from the real issue before the court.
He wondered why the lawyers of Jakpa did not present the tape to the court as part of his witness statement if they believed it would help their case.
“Whether there has been denial or not I am not aware. As far as I am concerned the tape has not been authenticated by anyone.
“This particular tape was recorded by Jakpa, if they felt this tape would help their case, why did they not add it to their evidence.
“If in his view he believes this tape will help his case, why didn’t he present it to court?
He further stated that this tape “is to sway all of us from the real issues before the court,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, June 1.
“This is a diversionary tactic,” he stressed.
The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia accused the Attorney-General Godfred Dame of attempting to secure the incarceration of the Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson unjustly.
Mr Nketia described Mr Dame as a torchbearer of injustice.
“He is not interested in justice, rather just jailing somebody. Torchbearer of injustice…He is hell-bent on securing incarceration of the Minority Leader unjustly,” he said at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, May 28.
Mr Asiedu Nketia further described the court action against the Minority Leader as persecution. He said the government had been “persecuting” Dr Forson since 2021.
He said “The Akufo-Addo government has been persecuting the Minority Leader over the purchase of an ambulance. This is political witch-hunting and persecution,” he stressed.
He further stated that the NDC is compelled to set the records straight regarding this court action following deliberate falsehood by Attorney-General Godfred Dame and New Patriotic Party (NPP) propagandists.
“In the context of repeated falsehood, deliberate misinformation, and distortion churned out by Godfred Dame and NPP propagandists, we are compelled to correct certain misconceptions about the transaction.
“It will be irresponsible on us to sit aloof to sit and allow the deliberate misinformation to fester.”
NDC’s press conference was responding to the claim made against Attorney-General Godfred Dame by the third accused in the Ato Forson trial, Richard Jakpa.
The Minority Leader Dr. Ato Forson, Sylvester Anemana as well as private businessman, Richard Jakpa, are standing trial for willfully causing a financial loss of €2.37 million to the state through a contract to purchase 200 ambulances for the Ministry of Health, among other charges.
The state has, however, discontinued the case against Sylvester Anemana.
It is recalled that during court proceedings on Thursday, May 23, 2024, Mr Jakpa fumed at the Attorney-General for accusing him of defending Ato Forson, in his testimony.
The businessman, who was under cross-examination by counsel for the Minority Leader, had earlier been warned by Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe to be direct in his responses rather than going around it and wasting the Court’s time.
Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame, reacting to the judge’s caution, accused Richard Jakpa of defending the Minority Leader.
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“The A-G has on several occasions engaged me at odd hours to help him make a case against A1 and I have evidence for that.. If he pushes me, I will open the Pandora’s box. I don’t understand why the A-G will accuse me of defending A1 when I’m here to defend myself,” Jakpa fumed in court.
However, the A-G’s department said that the Republic has never required or desired the cooperation of any of the accused persons.
The Deputy A-G Alfred Tuah-Yeboah said this while revealing that Richard Jakpa, initiated plea bargaining through several requests to the state through the Attorney-General, Godfred Dame Yeboah.
The A-G said the plea-bargaining proposal has, to date, not been accepted. Tuah-Yeboah further stated that Mr Jakpa repeatedly requested to enter plea negotiations with the state.
In a statement issued last Thursday Mr Tuah-Yeboah, it emphasised that the state has not in any way engaged any of the accused persons to help the prosecution.
“The Republic has never required or desired the cooperation of any of the accused persons in the matter, in which it has already succeeded in establishing a prima facie case against all the accused persons. Neither the Attorney-General nor any officer from the Office of the Attorney-General has approached any of the accused persons with the view to obtaining evidence from them.
“It is rather the third accused who, by various letters dated 27th April, 2023, 16th May, 2023, 30th May, 2023 and 12th June, 2023, has proposed to the Republic through the Attorney-General to engage in plea bargaining or plea negotiations. This plea bargaining proposal has, to date, not been accepted by the Attorney-General,” excerpts of the A-G’s statement read.
Meanwhile, the A-G said it has video evidence of the first accused, Minority Leader Ato Forson, to plead with the A-G to discontinue the case.
