Ghanatodayonline.com News, Politics, Health, Education & More
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said that it would shortly provide proof to back up the allegations made by Richard Jakpa, the third defendant in the current trial of Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson’s ambulance procurement.
This announcement comes after Jakpa made claims in court on May 23 that the Attorney General (AG) had frequently tried to force him into fabricating accusations against the former Deputy Finance Minister and Minority Leader.
Felix Ofosu Kwakye, an assistant to NDC flagbearer John Dramani Mahama, highlighted the gravity of the upcoming evidence in a recent interview with Eyewitness News, characterizing it as more than simply an accusation.
“This is ironclad; it is not just an allegation. We in the NDC are not in the business of throwing up empty claims. Just give us a few days into the early days of next week and we will put that evidence out, just as our chairman has said,” Ofosu Kwakye stated.
“Mind you, Jakpa was speaking under oath, which meant that if what he said proved to be false, he ran the risk of being imprisoned by the court for misleading the court, and I do not think that somebody who is interested in his freedom like Jakpa would make such an allegation lightly,” Ofosu Kwakye said, highlighting the gravity of Jakpa’s claims.
In reaffirming the NDC’s dedication to credibility and openness, Ofosu Kwakye said the party would not guarantee proof unless it was positive it existed.
“Again, we in the NDC are a serious organization, and we want the people of Ghana to take us seriously, so we are not just going to say we will put up evidence if we have none.”
He said in closing that it will soon become clear what kind of proof it was.
“The nature of the evidence will become clear on the day that the NDC will announce it.”
Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, has denied allegations made by members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regarding an accusation made by Richard Jakpa, the third accused, during Thursday’s (May 23) court proceedings, that the Attorney General wanted his cooperation in order to get Cassiel Ato Forson, the first accused, found guilty.
A statement signed by the deputy attorney general, Alfred Tuah Yeboah on Thursday (23 May) said “It is rather the third accused who, by various letters dated 27 April, 2023, 16 May, 2023, 30 May, 2023 and 12 June 2023, has proposed to the Republic through the Attorney General to engage in plea bargaining or plea negotiations. This plea bargaining proposal has, to date, not been accepted by the Attorney General.”
“Even though the law on plea bargaining passed by Parliament permits a prosecutor to negotiate with an accused person after a plea proposal has been made, the Attorney General has not engaged the third accused person to give false testimony in the matter.”
The statement claims that the Attorney General has been under a great deal of pressure from many parties to drop the charges against Cassiel Ato Forson, the first accused, but he has refused to back down.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
