Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ongoing ambulance trial, has petitioned the Chief Justice, alleging unfair treatment throughout the legal proceedings.
Jakpa claims that his basic human rights and privileges have been repeatedly denied during the trial.
In an interview with JoyNews, Jakpa expressed his grievances, stating, “Right from the beginning of this trial till today, I have not been treated fairly at all by the judge. I am saying that because I have written a petition to the Chief Justice on this. So, I am not speaking out of a vacuum, and it is recorded. It is documented.”
Jakpa detailed various instances of perceived bias and rights violations in his petition. He accused the judge of denying him legal representation, basic needs such as restroom access, and engaging him inappropriately in court.
He believes these actions indicate that the judge has already presumed his guilt, and he is merely fulfilling procedural requirements.
Additionally, Jakpa accused Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame of prosecuting the case against Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson for political reasons.
Jakpa suggested that Forson posed a threat to government interests, particularly regarding the contentious E-levy, and that the prosecution was a tactic to silence him.
“Attorney General came to court purely on political convenience and mischief to imprison Hon. Ato Forson, and this stems from the E-levy. Because Honorable Ato Forson was the ranking member for the NDC in Parliament and he was giving them a headache, he was frustrating and being meticulous on the figures that Ken Ofori-Atta was bringing to Parliament,” Jakpa asserted.
He further alleged that the accusations against him were part of a strategy to mask the political motivations behind the Attorney General’s actions. Jakpa claimed that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta had influenced Dame to prosecute Forson to intimidate him and reduce his critical oversight in Parliament.
Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah Yeboah refuted Jakpa’s allegations, defending Dame’s integrity and professionalism. Yeboah emphasized Dame’s competence and success in both local and international legal arenas.
“If you look at the AGs that we have in Ghana, if he [Godfred Dame] is not the best, he will be one of the best when it comes to his courtroom appearance. Look at international arbitrations. An Attorney General who leads his team to go on international arbitration and win cases internationally, not locally. So if you say local champion, what does it mean?” Yeboah questioned.