Former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame has refuted claims that he coached businessman Richard Jakpa to procure a medical excuse duty during the controversial ambulance procurement trial.
Speaking to journalists in Accra, Mr. Dame insisted that he only suggested the option because he was aware of Jakpa’s ill health, a fact he said was confirmed when Jakpa’s lawyer, Thaddeus Sory, reached out to the Director of Public Prosecution, Atakora Obuobisa, to request an adjournment.
According to Mr. Dame, Mr. Sory later proposed a meeting in the judge’s chambers with both the defense and prosecution teams, where he raised concerns about his client’s health and sought an adjournment. The court granted the request.
The former Attorney-General emphasized that this occurred during a week he was preparing for an international arbitration hearing in the United Kingdom concerning the GCNet case.
He recalled making only a single phone call to Jakpa within that period, insisting he had never met him outside of court, except on rare occasions at the residence of Supreme Court Justice Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi.
His comments come in response to allegations from his predecessor, Dr. Dominic Ayine, who claimed that Mr. Dame attempted to manufacture evidence where none existed.
During the trial, Jakpa himself alleged that he was in good health at the time Dame suggested he seek a medical excuse.
Addressing the controversy surrounding Dr. Ayine’s decision to discontinue the government’s appeal in the ambulance case, Mr. Dame dismissed Ayine’s justification as “a sham.”
Dr. Ayine had argued that continuing the appeal would present ethical and professional challenges, given his previous role as a defense lawyer for Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, a key accused in the case.
However, Mr. Dame countered that Ayine’s explanation was flawed, citing Article 88(4) of the Constitution, which allows the Attorney-General to delegate prosecutorial authority to other lawyers, including private legal practitioners.
He questioned why Ayine did not allow the Supreme Court to determine the matter if he was confident in his legal position.
Mr. Dame further rejected claims that the case was politically motivated, pointing out that the ambulance procurement deal violated the contract’s terms.
He recounted that in 2014, Dr. Forson, then Deputy Minister of Finance, issued letters of credit for the ambulances without authorization from the Ministry of Health.
When the vehicles arrived, they were deemed unfit for use as ambulances, with then-Health Minister Dr. Alex Segbefia describing them as mere “ordinary vans.”
“The defects were so serious that even under the John Mahama administration, they could not be converted into ambulances. To date, they remain unusable, yet the same government is now back in power,” Dame stated.
He argued that the Court of Appeal’s 2-1 split decision, which overturned Forson’s conviction, was erroneous and that the Supreme Court would likely have reversed it had the case proceeded.
He suggested that Dr. Ayine’s real motive for discontinuing the appeal was to shield Forson from further legal trouble.
The post Dame Breaks Silence on Ambulance Case Secret Recording appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
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