Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, has cautioned the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to brace themselves for the escalating controversy surrounding the trial of Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
Dr. Forson faces allegations of causing financial loss to the state in the procurement of 200 ambulances.
In an interview on Neat FM on May 31, 2024, Edudzi asserted that the NDC possesses evidence indicating that the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration, led by Attorney General Godfred Dame, is exerting efforts to imprison Dr. Ato Forson unjustly.
He highlighted an audio recording of a phone conversation between Godfred Dame and the third defendant in Dr. Ato Forson’s trial, Richard Jakpa, where the AG is heard pressuring Jakpa to testify against the Minority Leader. Additionally, Edudzi referenced WhatsApp messages between the two individuals, released by the NDC, as further evidence of wrongdoing.
“If you can recall, when this issue started, my brother Nana B ignorantly stated that the recording was done at the home of a Supreme Court judge. On Tuesday, the recording that was released, was it in a house? Wasn’t it a phone call?
“So, quite clearly, our brothers and sisters in the NPP do not know what is coming. They have no idea,” he said in Twi.
The NDC legal director urged NPP members who are making noise about the trial to take a clue from the Attorney General who has gone quiet since the revelations started.
He made these remarks while reacting to a petition by Dr. Ato Forson to the Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, for the remaining proceedings of the trial to be broadcast live.
About the allegations against Godfred Dame:
The National Democratic Congress (NDC), as promised, presented evidence implicating Attorney General and Minister of Justice Godfred Dame in the ongoing trial of Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
The NDC accused Godfred Dame of engaging in unethical and unprofessional behavior, alleging that businessman Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ambulance procurement trial, claimed in court that the AG had meetings with him to discuss implicating Ato Forson.
Jakpa alleged that the Attorney General sought his cooperation to incriminate Dr. Ato Forson, a claim Dame vehemently denied.
During a press conference in Accra on May 28, 2024, the NDC played a 16-minute audio recording of a phone conversation between Godfred Dame and Richard Jakpa, recorded on the day Jakpa was scheduled to testify in court.
In the recording, Dame is heard urging Jakpa to testify in a manner inconsistent with the explanation Jakpa provided to him. Prior to the AG’s request, Jakpa had asserted that Ato Forson had committed no wrongdoing with the LCs he signed, and he explained that the contract was for the purchase of 200 vehicles with 4 LCs.
“With the security from the government being the LC, the condition precedent… the contract for 200 vehicles in tranches of 50, 50, 50, 50. The contract is one contract for 200 ambulances which has been broken down within the contract.
“You establish an LC for every 50 tranche. So, you have four LCs for the 200 ambulances,” Jakpa explained.
Godfred Dame then stated that the third accused should accept his explanation because it wouldn’t cause him any harm.
“For that part, I disagree with you because if you look at the terms of the contract, it is quite clear, and it should not be difficult for you to accept because it doesn’t put you in any problem. You are not the Minister of Health, and you are not the Minister of Finance, so it doesn’t put you in any difficulty,” the Attorney General is heard saying.
However, Jakpa insisted that he could not grant Dame’s request because there were letters that confirmed the arrangement in the contract.
“No, the problem I have in accepting that for you is that there are letters that confirm [details of the transaction]. So I can’t go against what the letters say,” he said.
In the recording, Dame persistently urged Jakpa to adopt his stance, assuring him that it wouldn’t pose any issues. However, Jakpa remained resolute, refusing to testify contrary to the truth he knew.
Furthermore, the Attorney General can be heard advising Jakpa to concoct a medical excuse to facilitate his travel.