Atik Mohammed has waded into discussions concerning Attorney-General, Godfred Dame’s suit against Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, in an ambulance deal that the latter led between 2014 and 2016.
Ato Forson and one Richard Jakpa have been charged at the Accra High Court for causing financial loss of €2.37 million to the state in a deal to purchase 200 ambulances for Ghana.
According to the A-G’s facts, the late former President John Evans Atta Mills, in 2009, while delivering the State of the Nation, noted that new ambulances would be purchased to expand the operations of the National Ambulance Service.
He informed the nation about the move to buy 200 ambulances but only 30 ambulances were purchased at a sum of €2.37 million.
The procurement of the 30 ambulances was spearheaded by Richard Jakpa, a local representative of a Dubai-based company called Big Sea General Trading Limited, who approached the Ministry of Health with a proposal he had arranged for finance from Stanbic Bank for the supply of the 200 ambulances and Ato Forson who was then the Deputy Finance Minister.
During cross-examination in court before the trial judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, Richard Jakpa dropped a bombshell.
He stated that the Attorney-General and himself had met at the private residence of a Supreme Court Justice, Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, in a supposed plea bargain negotiation.
“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 said in court.
Reacting to the issue on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” show, Atik Mohammed found it unfortunate that Attorney-General would agree to meet Jakpa in Justice Kulendi’s home.
To him, the meeting as well as a leaked telephone recording that Jakpa had made while having a conversation with Mr. Godfred Dame was all a plot by Jakpa against the A-G.
Atik wondered how the A-G could fall for such trap, stating “even though you wanted to act in good faith, if there were any engagements, they should have been in the office” in front of their Attorneys, stressing “having a phone conversation with the accused, I think the A-G could have done better”.
On the part of the Justice Kulendi, Atik said; “The Judge erred…He had no business getting involved. So, does that mean that if your family member commits murder, you would go to speak to the Prosecutor or whatever. I mean it’s bad; it doesn’t look pretty” and also blasted Jakpa saying “Jakpa didn’t do well; nobody would tell me he didn’t plan to do this. He intentionally did this”.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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