The third accused in the ongoing ambulance procurement trial, Richard Jakpa, has justified why he secretly recorded a private conversation with the Attorney-General (A-G), Godfred Yeboah Dame.
According to Mr Jakpa, the tape was to serve as evidence that the A-G was seeking to prosecute and jail innocent people.
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“He is prosecuting innocent people, so who is disingenuous? When a private conversation leads to committing a crime, it can no longer be private. It becomes a crime against the state. So that private recording is neither here nor there,” he said in court on Tuesday, June 4.
He further challenged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and all other persons to produce the original audio if they claimed the tape in his possession was doctored.
“They are claiming it is a doctored tape. I didn’t say that, so they should bring the original”.
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Touching on why the audio was not submitted to the court, Mr Jakpa said, “My lawyer knows his strategy, and he understands the court processes more than I do, so he is doing what is required of him. There must be justice, and I am here seeking justice.”
Dr Ato Forson, a former Deputy Finance Minister, and Richard Jakpa, a businessman, are on trial for causing the state a €2.3 million loss in an ambulance deal.
The accused persons are to answer five counts of wilfully causing financial loss to the state, abetment to wilfully causing financial loss to the state, contravention of the Public Procurement Act, and intentionally misapplying public property.
Mr Jakpa alleged in open court that Mr Dame had repeatedly sought his assistance to implicate the first accused and Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
Under cross-examination by counsel for the Minority Leader, the trial judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, cautioned Mr Jakpa to be direct in his responses and avoid wasting the court’s time.
In response to the judge’s caution, the Attorney-General accused Mr Jakpa of defending the Minority Leader.
This accusation prompted Mr Jakpa to retort that the Attorney-General seemed aggrieved because he had previously failed to get him [Jakpa] to help the state build a case against Dr Ato Forson.
In a press release, the A-G’s department responded to these claims and said that the Republic has never required or desired the cooperation of any of the accused persons.
Deputy A-G Alfred Tuah-Yeboah said this while revealing that Mr 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, a former Deputy Finance Minister, has pleaded not guilty to causing a €2.3 million loss to the state in an ambulance deal.
He is on trial with two others — Sylvester Anemana, a former Chief Director at the Ministry of Health and Richard Jakpa, a businessman, who have also pleaded not guilty.
The state has, however, discontinued the case against Sylvester Anemana.
The accused persons are to answer to five counts of wilfully causing financial loss to the state, abetment to wilfully causing financial loss to the state, contravention of the Public Procurement Act, and intentionally misapplying public property.