By The High Court, presiding over the criminal case involving Minority Leader and former Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, is scheduled to announce four separate rulings today, Thursday, June 6.
This follows multiple applications submitted by the first accused person and the third accused, Richard Jakpa.
The applications include a request for an inquiry into the Attorney-General’s conduct following allegations by Richard Jakpa that the A-G has been contacting him at irregular hours; a plea for a mistrial aiming to halt the case; a motion to suspend proceedings until the application is resolved; and a petition asking the court to dismiss charges against the businessman.
The motions were filed by the Minority Leader and former Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, while the final one was submitted by the businessman.
Dr. Ato Forson and Richard Jakpa are facing trial for allegedly causing a financial loss of €2.37 million to the state, primarily through a contract to procure 200 ambulances for the Ministry of Health, among other charges.
When the case was called on Tuesday, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, presiding over the court, stated that she would make a decision based on the arguments presented in the legal documents filed for and against the motions.
Dr. Ato Forson’s application
In his applications, Dr. Forson argued that the uncontested allegations made by Mr. Jakpa suggest collusion between the prosecution and the businessman.
He also characterized it as a deliberate agenda to implicate him and undermine the course of justice in the case.
According to him, the Attorney-General’s conduct constitutes a significant infringement of his right to a fair trial. He is thus petitioning the court to prohibit the Attorney-General from further pursuing the prosecution of the case.
According to him, the Attorney-General’s conduct constitutes a significant infringement of his right to a fair trial. He is thus petitioning the court to prohibit the Attorney-General from further pursuing the prosecution of the case.
Richard Jakpa’s application
In his application, Mr. Jakpa is seeking an order to dismiss the charges against him and to terminate the proceedings.
He contends that the charges and proceedings initiated by Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame amount to an abuse of court processes and contravene the obligations outlined in the 1992 Constitution.
He asserts that the Attorney-General is misusing his constitutional powers by prosecuting him without proper justification.
A-G’s response
However, the Office of the Attorney General, in affidavits opposing the motions, asserts that it is in the public interest for the case to reach a definitive conclusion based on credible evidence presented in court.
Regarding Dr. Forson, the affidavit in opposition argues that continuing his prosecution to its conclusion would uphold the principle of equality before the law for all individuals and dispel the notion that the influential and politically connected can evade accountability for crimes due to undue influence and baseless accusations.
In response to Jakpa’s claims, the affidavit in opposition indicates that while he makes numerous baseless and exaggerated allegations against the Attorney General in his supporting affidavit, none of them directly undermines the integrity of the court or challenges any decision or action by the trial court that hinders its ability to dispense justice in this case.
