Attorney-General (A-G) Godfred Dame has a strong case against the Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson in court, therefore, does not need the support of the third accused in the case Richard Jakpa to do the case, Member of Parliament for Sissala East, Amidu Issahaku Chinnia, has said.
In his view, if this claim against the A-G is established it will just amount to professional conduct.
Mr Chinnia said the claim that the Attorney-General sought the support of Jakpa to make a case against Ato Forson does not affect the substantive matter before the court.
“This issue is about the professional conduct of Dame if it is established that he tried to influence the accused, it doesn’t go into the merit of the substantive case in case.
“The substantive matter is about the contract that the govt signed and how the terms of the contract were applied. The Attorney-General has a strong case and does not need the support of the third accuse,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, May 24.
The Deputy Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources further accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of seeking to divert attention from the real issues in the case against the Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forsdon.
Mr Chinnia indicated that the real facts are before the courts that will be determined.
“The facts are before the court, the NDC is only using the statement of the third accused to divert attention from the real issue,” he said.
He added, “If it is established that the A-G called the accused then it will be a professional issue, it has nothing to do with the substantive issue.”
His comments come wt at a time when the National Communications Officer of the NDC Sammy Gyamfi accused Attorney-General of fabrication of a crime against the Minority Leader Dr Cassie Ato Forson.
He accused the A-G of falsifying the testimonies of Richard Jakpa, an accused person so that he could incriminate Ato Forson.
“Godffed Dame will not only be the only first A-G to be reported to the General Legal Council (GLC) but he will also be prosecuted for fabrication of a crime,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, May 24.
Sammy Gyamfi further said Godfred Dame could not utter a word when a revelation was made that he asked Richard Jakpa to help him to make a case against the Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson in the ambulance trial.
Sammy Gyamfi said that Godfred Dame shivered when the revelation was made and could not even call for the comment to be struck out from the court’s record.
His comments come at a time the A-G has said that pressure was mounted on him from all manner of people to drop the case against Ato Forson.
Speaking on the Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, May 24, Sammy Gyamfi said: “These are the words of a liar, desire Godfred Dame…he couldn’t utter a word totally silent, Godfred Dame the coward was shivering in his seat, and couldn’t say anything.”
It is recalled that Deputy Attorney-General Alfred Tuah Yeboah had said that the Republic has never required or desired the cooperation of any of the accused persons.
The Deputy A-G said this while revealing that the third accused person in the ongoing ambulance trial, 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.
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 Amemana.
During court proceedings on Thursday, May 23, 2024, Mr Jakpa fumed at the Attorney-General for accusing him of defending the Minority Leader 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.
This triggered the third accused, who retorted that the Attorney-General appeared pained because he had engaged him to help the state make a case against Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
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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.
But the A-G’s office responding to the allegations said, among other things, that Mr Jakpa has repeatedly requested to enter plea negotiations with the state.
In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by the Deputy Attorney-General, Alfred 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.
“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.”
Below is the A-G’s full statement:
