The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called for the resignation of Attorney-General, Godfred Dame.
During a media briefing in Accra, National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, accused Attorney-General Godfred Dame of professional misconduct and criminal behavior in the ongoing ambulance procurement case involving Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
He said "As you may be aware, since late 2021, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has been persecuting the Minority Leader in Parliament, Hon. Dr. Cassiel AtoForson, over the purchase of some ambulances by the Ministry of Health under the erstwhile NDC/Mahama government"
"As a law-abiding political party, we have restrained ourselves from commenting on this matter publicly. This is because we respect the principle that matters pending in court should not be commented on in a manner that prejudices the outcome. We therefore have no intention of doing so today"
"However, in the light of repeated falsehoods, deliberate misrepresentations and distortions churned out by Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame and NPP propagandists, we are compelled to correct certain misconceptions in the public domain about the said ambulance transaction and situate this discussion in its proper context"
Mr. Asiedu Nketia explained that this was without prejudice to any matters pending before the law courts in the case.
"For the avoidance of doubt, the specific claim that the Attorney-General has based his persecution of the Minority Leader on is that, in the Attorney-General’s view, there has been financial loss to the state because he as Deputy Minister of Finance, wrote letters to the Bank of Ghana requesting the Bank to set up Letters of Credit in favour of Big Sea Trading Limited of Dubai, suppliers of the ambulances in question, without authorisation from his then boss and Finance Minister, Hon. Seth Terkper. This is publicly available information captured in the records of the High Court, Accra"
"It is also a matter of public record, that Hon. Seth Terkper has appeared before the trial court and stated unequivocally under oath that he gave express authorisation to his then Deputy Minister of Finance, Hon. Ato Forson, to write the said letters to the Bank of Ghana for Letters of Credit to be established in respect of the ambulance transaction. This authorisation is evidenced by the seal of the Ministry of Finance that is apparent on the face of the letter written by Hon. Ato Forson"
Mr. Asiedu Nketia hinted that it was instructive to note that the establishment of the Letters of Credit was done on the advice of the Attorney-General then, that failure to do so was going to make it difficult for the Government of Ghana to defend any suit brought by Big Sea Trading for breach of contract.
"Godfred Dame and hordes of NPP propagandists also continue to falsely claim that the NDC government brought in ordinary vans purporting to be ambulances without medical equipment under the said transaction"
The NDC stated emphatically that the first set of 30 ambulances supplied under the transaction arrived in the country with the necessary fittings in them sometime in the year 2015.
"In addition, a container load of medical equipment to be installed in these ambulances were shipped by Big Sea and arrived in the country around the end of 2016. Sadly, these medical equipment have been sitting at the Tema port for the last eight (8) years because this government, specifically the Ministry of Health, which is the consignee, has refused to clear them just so they can falsely claim that there were no equipment"
"Once again, we have projected on the screen a copy of the bill of lading dated 8th October, 2016 covering this shipment. As can be seen, this container has 30 sets of medical equipment and defibrillators for installation, as well as spare parts for the 30 ambulances"
"All that was required for this government to do was to clear the medical equipment from the ports and give engineers of Big Sea access to the ambulances, which have since been parked at the Airforce Base in Accra, to install them, train personnel of the Ghana Ambulance Service to use them and then formally take possession of the said ambulances"
"It therefore makes no sense that after refusing to do this simple task and allowing the ambulances to deteriorate for 8 years, Godfred Dame would turn around to persecute Hon. Ato Forson for allegedly causing financial loss to the State, when that loss has been clearly occasioned by the deliberate negligence of the government he represents"
The NDC stressed that it believes that the decision to take the Minority Leader and some others to Court over the matter was born out of a malicious, sinister and wicked desire to silence him through unjust imprisonment and nothing more.
"As we publicly stated from the very outset of this case, the timing and circumstances of this socalled prosecution, show that it was instituted mainly to intimidate and silence the then ranking member on Finance, now Minority Leader, following his vehement opposition to the government’s 2022 budget, the E-levy and the general economic mismanagement by the AkufoAddo/Bawumia government. This is the very embodiment of political witch-hunt and persecution"
"Ladies and gentlemen of the media, last Thursday, 23rd May 2024, the 3rd Accused person in this case, Richard Jakpa, took the stand to be cross-examined by counsel for Dr. Ato Forson. During this cross-examination, Attorney-General Godfred Dame, shot up from his seat to accuse Mr. Richard Jakpa of defending Dr. Ato Forson rather than himself"
"In response to the Attorney-General’s accusation, Mr. Jakpa who was testifying under oath and felt attacked without provocation, dropped a bombshell that Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney-General, has been having clandestine meetings and telephone conversations with him at odd hours to persuade him to falsely testify against the Minority Leader, Dr. Ato Forson, so that the prosecution can secure a conviction. This testimony by Mr. Jakpa was given to the court under oath and captured by the court’s record"
He noted that at last Thursday’s hearing, the Attorney-General who was personally present in court, could not object to this damning evidence of Mr. Jakpa.
"He did not deny calling and meeting Jakpa at odd hours. Neither did he deny Jakpa’s claim that he has been impressing on him to skew his testimony in a manner that will allow the State to secure a conviction against the Minority Leader"
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, in the period following these startling revelations, the National Democratic Congress, has obtained compelling evidence which supports Mr. Richard
Jakpa’s claim that the Attorney-General indeed has engaged him on countless occasions and urged him to falsify his testimony to aid the case of the Attorney-General against Dr. Ato Forson.
"This evidence points to a devious, diabolic and dangerous plan by the Attorney-General to secure conviction against Minority Leader Dr. Ato Forson at all cost, contrary to what the 3rd Accused knows and believes to be the truth."
"We have in our possession a series of recordings in which the Attorney-General, Godfred Dame, is clearly heard goading, urging, impressing upon and coaching Mr. Jakpa to bear false testimony against the Minority Leader, Dr. Ato Forson"
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the first of these recordings is a 16-minute five seconds telephone conversation between Godfred Dame and Richard Jakpa, the 3rd Accused person, held on the morning (7:12am) of 9th April, 2024, a day that the 3rd Accused Richard Jakpa was preparing to go to court to continue his testimony"
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
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