Businessman Richard Jakpa has told an Accra High Court that the Attorney-General, Godfred Dame had met with him at odd hours, to have him implicate the Minority Leader, Ato Forson in the ongoing ambulance case.
Mr. Jakpa and Ato Forson(who was then a deputy finance minister) are being prosecuted for causing a €2.37 million financial loss to the state over the importation of 200 defective ambulances in 2012.
While being cross-examined by a lawyer for Ato Forson on Thursday, May 23, the AG made a comment that suggested Mr. Jakpa’s testimony seemed to be in defence of the Minority leader. This triggered an angry reaction from the businessman who then revealed that the AG had used underhand tactics in the case.
“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. If he pushes me, I’ll open the Pandora’s box. I have evidence to all this,” he said.
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It is not yet clear how the court would determine the witness’s revelation as true. Justice Afia Asare-Botwe, the presiding judge, called the Attorney General and lawyers of Ato Forson for a brief meeting before later adjourning the case.
During the course of this trial, both Ato Forson and Richard Jakpa have denied wrongdoing. The Attorney-General however maintains that Ato Forson and the other defendant have a case to answer for their role in importing ‘fake ambulances’ into the country.
Witnesses the state had called in the course of the trial had testified that Dr. Ato Forson acted without authorization when he instructed the Bank of Ghana to establish Letters of Credit which led to payments being made to Big Sea Limited, the Dubai firm contracted for the purchase.
Ato Forson, however in defence said he did have authorisation from then-finance minister Seth Tekpe, a testimony Mr. Tekpe has corroborated.
