Ambulance Case: Ato Forson Begs AG To Drop Case

In spite of a strong denial by Ato Forson that he has not pleaded with the Attorney General (AG) to drop the trial against him, there appears to be evidence to confirm that the Minority Leader attempted to convince the AG to drop the case.

DAILY GUIDE has gathered that the Minority Leader, in the company of a senior Member of Parliament (MP), went to the home of the Attorney General to plead with the AG to drop the case against him.

DAILY GUIDE sources have confirmed that the Attorney General has a video recording of Ato Forson and the senior MP coming to his house to beg.

DAILY GUIDE has also gathered that there has been incessant pressure on the Attorney General to discontinue the trial in the ‘defective’ ambulance case, but the AG has remained firm and stuck to his grounds.

The information indicates that pressure has come from every angle – former President John Mahama, the leadership of the Minority in Parliament, senior members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), among others.

It said former President Mahama recently pointed to the discontinuance of the ambulance trial as a condition to get members of the Minority in Parliament to agree to the recent recall of Parliament.

The source added that the former President has on other occasions, stated it as a condition for the cooperation of the Minority in Parliament.

This revelation further confirms the enormous pressure put on the Attorney General by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and even some figures in the New Patriotic Party for the trial of the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam MP to be dropped.

This disclosure also exposes the NDC’s long held dislike for Mr. Dame, starting from his tenure as Deputy Attorney General to his time as Attorney General, often claiming he is incompetent and persecuting their members.

Dr. Ato Forson and Richard Jakpa, are standing trial for willfully causing financial loss of €2.37 million to the state, through a contract to purchase 200 ambulances for the Ministry of Health, among other charges.

The ambulances, according to court documents, are ordinary buses which are not fit for purpose as they do not have the needed equipment that an ambulance requires.

 

Ato Forson’s Visit To AG’s House 

DAILY GUIDE’s source has confirmed that Ato Forson was at the home of the Attorney General with a senior Member of Parliament to negotiate a discontinuance of the prosecution.

The source said the Attorney General has a video recording of that meeting, adding that there was also a witness at that meeting.

The source said the AG has rejected requests on him to discontinue the trial because in the case of Dr. Ato Forson, for instance, he had pleaded with the AG to stop prosecuting him when he went to the AG’s house to plead in the company of a senior MP.

The source said the AG had told him that the way out was for Dr. Forson together with the other accused persons, to do plea bargaining.

Even though the Minority Leader is said to have accepted to do this, he was not prepared to explicitly acknowledge on paper that he had offered to do plea bargaining with the AG because he thought an indication of same would imply acceptance of wrongdoing on his part, a situation which, according to him, would lower his standing in the eyes of the society.

Pressure On AG

DAILY GUIDE’s source said the accused have resorted to all manner of strategies, including mounting pressure on the AG for him to discontinue the trial.

The source said this is seen in the attitude towards the AG by the Minority in Parliament whenever the AG has any business to do in Parliament.

When that pressure failed to yield results, as the AG remained resolute, Richard Jakpa resorted to the entrapment of the AG in the house of a Justice of the Supreme Court.

“It is clear that the third accused knew that it was definitely not possible for him to meet the AG anywhere and secretly record him, unless he was tricked into going to the house of the Justice of the Supreme Court,” the source said.

NDC Attacks On Dame 

The NDC has for a long time, sought to tarnish the reputation of the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, dating back to even when he was occupying the office of Deputy Attorney General.

A source said this is partly because the party has found him to be too formidable an opponent to handle.

His vetting as Attorney General was one of the longest, if not the longest in the history of the Parliament of the Fourth Republic, as the Minority probed him on all matters in respect of which he came out with flying colours.

They have held numerous press conferences against him since he was appointed Attorney General, making all sorts of allegations against him.

They have sought to destroy Mr.  Dame’s reputation and portray him as evil and lacking good faith, even when his positions on issues have been vindicated by the courts.

They have done so even when he has saved the state enormous funds through his actions in office and initiated many reforms of the law in Ghana.

DAILY GUIDE’s source revealed that the NDC filed a motion for censure to remove Godfred Yeboah Dame from office as Attorney General soon after he was appointed as Attorney General. That motion failed to see the light of day.

Last year, NDC Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson filed a petition at the General Legal Council against Godfred Yeboah Dame seeking to have him punished, but that petition was thrown out a few months ago.

The latest attack is only the latest instalment in the calculated attempts by the NDC to unjustifiably destroy the reputation of the AG and divert attention from the real issues in the ambulance trial.

Justice To Be Done 

DAILY GUIDE’s source has indicated that for the truth in the ‘fake’ ambulance transaction to be established, there ought to be a complete cessation of the pressure on the AG to stop prosecuting the matter.

“Let the course of justice be not disturbed. The evidence in court ought to speak. There is no case which highlights the negligence and ineptitude of the NDC than this one.

“If Ato Forson and the NDC are not afraid, they ought to leave the AG to prosecute in peace. None of the accused persons should interfere in the prosecution. The judge should be allowed to decide the case based solely on the evidence led at the trial,” the source added.