Ato Forson Trial Jakpa Wants To Play Smart To Escape The Law Kwamena Duncan

Kwamena Duncan has descended on Richard Jakpa, a third accused person in the trial involving the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, regarding a shady ambulance purchase deal.

The Attorney-General, Godfred Dame has sued Ato Forson for failing to purchase some 200 ambulances for Ghana while he was Deputy Finance Minister during the Atta Mills/Mahama regime.

Richard Jakpa and Ato Forson were reportedly spearheading the transaction but have been accused by the Attorney-General for causing financial loss to the State.

During the trial at the High Court presided by Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, Jakpa also accused lawyer Godfred Dame of approaching him to build a case against Ato Forson.

A secret audio recording of Jakpa and the A-G has also appeared before the court but the recording which was earlier played by the opposition National Democratic Congress in a press conference to implicate the A-G has turned out to be "doctored" as the court demands the full tape.

Commenting on the issue during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, Kwamena Duncan, a former Minister for Central Region, slammed Jakpa and the NDC saying the court has exposed their deception.

To him, Jakpa is trying to play smart and for the NDC, their plot was to slander the Attorney-General but it has backfired due to the revelation that the tape played by them was a shorter version of the entire conversation between the A-G and Jakpa.

He added it has also been proven that it wasn't the A-G who approached Jakpa as the latter claimed but rather he (Jakpa) was the one who went to the Attorney-General for plea bargain.

This, he said, in relation to the proof that Jakpa had sent over 60 WhatsApp messages to lawyer Godfred Dame who gave only two replies.

"When you look at his life, indeed this is only a person who wants to be smart. Who after doing what he did wants to use some means to be able to get himself out of the strong clutches of the law," Kwamena concluded.

Background 

Jakpa and Ato Forson have been accused before a High Court of causing financial loss of euro;2.37 million to the State in a deal to purchase 200 ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016.

Per the A-G’s facts accompanying the charge sheet, in 2009, while delivering the State of the Nation Address, the then President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, indicated that new ambulances would be purchased to expand the operations of the National Ambulance Service.

Jakpa, a local representative of Big Sea General Trading Limited, a organization based in Dubai, approached the Ministry of Health with a proposal that he had arranged for finance from Stanbic Bank for supply of the 200 ambulances but later 30 ambulances were purchased at a sum of euro;2.37 million, however all were found “not fit for purpose”.Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/