The Office of the Attorney General has presented additional WhatsApp messages between the Attorney General, Godfred Dame, and businessman Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ongoing trial of Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.

It is recalled that Richard Jakpa leaked a 16-minute audio recording and WhatsApp correspondence between him and Godfred Dame.

It also emerged that the WhatsApp messages between Dame and Jakpa were more than what was released to the public.

During court proceedings on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, the accused reportedly admitted that the audio recording was not the full length of the conversation he had with the attorney, as he was being cross-examined by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa.

According to a report by thelawplatform.online, the state presented to the court 68 WhatsApp messages sent from Richard Jakpa to the Attorney General.

The Director of Public Prosecutions tendered the 68 messages as she made the third accused admit during cross-examination that he was the one who introduced himself to Dame and that the Attorney-General did not know him prior to the commencement of his trial.

He also affirmed that the messages he presented to the court during cross-examination by the lawyers of the first accused were not the full complement of the WhatsApp messages between the AG and himself; saying that he presented those that he found to be relevant to his case.

Jakpa is reported to have said that he obtained Dame’s phone number from his cousin, Justice Yonny Kulendi, a justice of the Supreme Court.

He also suggested that some of the messages he sent to Dame were motivational messages among others sent after receiving the phone number from Justice Kulendi.

The report also indicated that Dr. Ato Forson’s lawyer, Dr. Bamba, and the lawyer for Jakpa, Sory, all objected to the tendering of the WhatsApp messages, mainly arguing that they needed time to study the 68 WhatsApp messages.

The Court, after listening to the objections, requested the state to hold onto the tendering and offer the same on Thursday, June 20, when counsels for the defense have had ample time to study the WhatsApp messages.

BAI/NOQ

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