Kwamena Duncan has criticized Richard Jakpa, the third accused person in the trial involving the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, over a dubious ambulance purchase deal.

The Attorney-General, Godfred Dame, has sued Ato Forson for failing to procure some 200 ambulances for Ghana while serving as Deputy Finance Minister during the Atta Mills/Mahama administration.

Richard Jakpa and Ato Forson, who were reportedly leading the transaction, have been accused by the Attorney-General of causing financial loss to the state.

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

A secret audio recording of Jakpa and the Attorney-General has been presented in court. However, the recording, which was initially played by the opposition National Democratic Congress at a press conference to implicate the Attorney-General, has been deemed "doctored" as the court demands the complete tape.

Commenting on the issue during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, Kwamena Duncan, a former Central Region Minister, condemned Jakpa and the NDC, stating that the court has uncovered their deceit.

According to him, Jakpa is attempting to be cunning, and the NDC's intention was to defame the Attorney-General, but this has backfired with the revelation that the tape they played was an abridged version of the full conversation between the Attorney-General and Jakpa.

He further stated that it has been established that it was not the Attorney-General who approached Jakpa, as the latter claimed, but rather Jakpa who sought a plea bargain with the Attorney-General.

This assertion is supported by evidence that Jakpa sent over 60 WhatsApp messages to lawyer Godfred Dame, who responded only twice.

"When you examine his life, indeed, this is a person who, after his actions, seeks to find a way to extricate himself from the firm grip of the law," Kwamena concluded.

Background

Jakpa and Ato Forson have been charged in a High Court with causing a financial loss of €2.37 million to the state in a deal to purchase 200 ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016.

According to the Attorney-General's facts accompanying the charge sheet, in 2009, while delivering the State of the Nation Address, then-President Prof. John Evans Atta Mills announced that new ambulances would be acquired to enhance the operations of the National Ambulance Service.

Jakpa, a local representative of Big Sea General Trading Limited, a Dubai-based company, proposed to the Ministry of Health that he had secured financing from Stanbic Bank for the supply of the 200 ambulances. However, only 30 ambulances were purchased for a sum of €2.37 million, and all were found to be "not fit for purpose."