Richard Jakpa, a defendant in the ambulance case with Cassiel Ato Forson, expressed his certainty that the case would be dismissed.
He stated that he was confident from the beginning that he had committed no wrongdoing and believed the charges were politically motivated.
“I knew from the onset that I had done nothing wrong, and this was just political witch-hunting, and the court has vindicated me. We still have judges of integrity in our legal system in this country.”
Background
In March 2023, the High Court ordered Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson to present his defense after the Attorney General’s office established a prima facie case against the former deputy finance minister in the 2.37 million Euro ambulance case.
Seth Anemana, a former Chief Director at the Ministry of Health, and businessman Richard Jakpa, who were co-defendants with Dr. Forson, were also instructed to present their defense.
The Minority Leader and the two co-defendants were charged with willfully causing financial loss of 2.37 million Euros to the state through the purchase of ambulances that were unsuitable for their intended purpose.
Despite the defense lawyers filing a submission of no case after the prosecution concluded its case, Justice Afia Serwah Asare Botwe ruled on March 30, 2023, that the accused must present their defense.
But a ruling on July 30, 2024, indicated that the High Court’s decision should be set aside since “the prosecution failed to establish sufficient evidence. The trial judge erred in calling on A1 (Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson) to open his defence. No positively proven facts.”