Ambulance trial: Accusation by third accused person against Godfred Dame false – Attorney General’s Office

The Office of the Attorney General has issued a press release to address an allegation made by the third accused person in the ambulance purchase trial, Richard Jakpa against Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame.

Richard Jakpa in Court on Thursday, May 23, accused Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame of approaching him to help him implicate Minority Leader and former Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.

The third accused person warned that he would spill the beans to expose the Attorney General if he is pushed.

“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,” Richard Jakpa told the court.

In a release, the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice has categorically denied the allegations.

The release further noted that 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,” part of the release from the Attorney General’s Office said.

The release indicated that it is rather the third accused who, by various letters dated 27^th April, 2023, 16^th May, 2023, 30^th May, 2023 and 12^th June, 2023, proposed to the Republic through the Attorney-General to engage in plea bargaining or plea negotiations.

The Office of the Attorney General added that this plea-bargaining proposal has, to date, not been accepted by the Attorney General.

“The Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice considers the latest allegation levelled against the Attorney-General as part of a grand scheme by the NDC to put more pressure on him to discontinue the prosecution or to divert attention from the real issues regarding the actions of the accused persons which have caused enormous financial loss to the State,” the release signed by Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah Yeboah said.

Below is a copy of the release from the Office of the Attorney General.

RE: REPUBLIC VRS. CASSIEL ATO FORSON & 2 OTHERS

FALSE ALLEGATIONS BY 3^RD ACCUSED PERSON AGAINST ATTORNEY-GENERAL

The attention of the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice has been drawn to media commentary by persons associated with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on an allegation made by the third accused person, Richard Jakpa, during proceedings in court on 23^rd May, 2024d that the Attorney-General desired his cooperation in the matter in order to secure a conviction of the 1^st accused, Cassiel Ato Forson.

For the record, the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice categorically denies the allegations and insinuations of the NDC, and responds as follows:

1. The Republic has throughout the trial, relied solely on the record of the impugned transaction, i.e. the purchase of ordinary vans purporting to be ambulances, to sustain its case against the accused persons. This record existed before January, 2022 (when the case was commenced) and was duly filed in Court by the prosecution before the commencement of the trial.

2. 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.

3. It is rather the third accused who, by various letters dated 27^th April, 2023, 16^th May, 2023, 30^th May, 2023 and 12^th 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.

4. Even though the law on plea bargaining passed by Parliament permits a prosecutor to negotiate with an accused person after a plea proposal has been made, the Attorney-General has not engaged the third accused person to give false testimony in the matter.

5. The Attorney-General has also come under enormous pressure from all manner of persons for him to discontinue the prosecution of the 1^st accused person, Cassiel Ato Forson, but has not yielded.

6. The Attorney-General has video evidence of the first accused, person, Cassiel Ato Forson, coming to meet him and to plead with him to discontinue the prosecution. This, the Attorney-General has refused to do.

7. The Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice considers the latest allegation levelled against the Attorney-General as part of a grand scheme by the NDC to put more pressure on him to discontinue the prosecution or to divert attention from the real issues regarding the actions of the accused persons which have caused enormous financial loss to the State.

8. The public is entreated to disregard the allegations. The Attorney-General remains focused on a zealous prosecution of the case.

SGD: ALFRED TUAH YEBOAH, DEPUTY ATTORNEY-GENERAL & MINISTER FOR JUSTICE