The Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame yesterday hauled Richard Jakpa over hot coals. Jakpa is the man who instigated the coup seeking Dame’s removal as Ghana’s Senior-most prosecutor. Yesterday, the pair faced-off in an encounter that had Jakpa eating morsel after morsel of unpleasant fact during the on-going cross-examination in the ambulance trial*
On Thursday, 27th June, 2024, the prosecution led by the AG himself, Godfred Yeboah Dame and Deputy AG, Tuah Yeboah, continued the cross examination of Richard Jakpa, the 3rd accused person in the ambulance trial.
Over the strenuous objections by lawyers of Jakpa and Ato Forson to the tendering into evidence of the military records of Richard Jakpa by the prosecution, the AG managed to get the records of Jakpa admitted into evidence. The court dismissed the objections with the reason that the records, which included Japka’s dismissal letters, were relevant to prove Jakpa’s credibility or the lack of it.
Jakpa was then forced to read the letters open court. One letter stated that Japka’s service in the military was unsatisfactory, and marked by fraudulent conduct, abrasiveness and general indiscipline. It concluded that Japka belongs to a world that is incompatible with decent and gentlemanly composure required of officers of the Ghana Armed Forces and that, “his continued retention is a bad example by all standards, …likely to cause more harm to the service and to himself”.
Japka then admitted in questions asked in cross-examination by the Attorney-General that he received as much as 28.7% of the 2.3 million Euros of the money paid to Big Sea under the ambulance contract. This figure translates to 700,000 Euros. Meanwhile, it was put to Jakpa by the Attorney-General that, per the Agency Agreement between Japka and the Big Sea, which was tendered in evidence, Jakpa was entitled to only 10% (i.e. 230,000 Euros) of the money paid under the ambulance contract. This was confirmed by Japka in open court.
Japka confirmed the case of the prosecution that the Ambulance Contract entered into between Big Sea and the Government of Ghana (an international business transaction) had no parliamentary approval, contrary to article 181(5) of the Constitution. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of Ghana has consistently held that any money paid under such contacts is unconstitutional and of no effect. See Faroe Atlantic v AG; Waterville/Woyome cases; Balkan Energy v AG and many others.
The prosecution made the case in court that based on documentary evidence submitted by Japka himself, Big Sea was registered as licensed for ambulance conversion in April 2015, whereas the contract with Big Sea was signed in 2012 and the ambulances were actually supplied in 2014. This means that at the time the contract was signed with Big Sea and at the time the vehicles were actually supplied in 2014, the company had no authorization to convert vehicles into ambulances.
Meanwhile, Jakpa claims that Big Sea was authorized by the contract to convert some of the faulty vehicles into ambulances.
