Kwesi Pratt Jr., the managing editor of the Insight Newspaper, has called on the leadership of the Ghana Bar Association to react to the allegation of coercion of a witness against the Attorney General, Godfred Dame, by the third accused in the ongoing trial of Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson; businessman Richard Jakpa.

According to him, the matter and the corroborating leaked audio recording of a phone conversation between Dame and Jakpa speak to the integrity of the country's judicial system, and the Ghana Bar Association, as the leading body of lawyers in the country, must guide Ghanaians on it.

The veteran journalist, who made these remarks during a panel discussion on Metro TV's Good Morning Ghana programme, indicated that the association cannot be silent on this matter because it is at the heart of Ghana's justice delivery system and a threat to the country's democracy.

"Nobody can prescribe the length of time that it should take a professional organization like the Ghana Bar Association to comment on this matter. But this matter is so crucial to the integrity of the system of prosecution and adjudication of justice that the Ghana Bar Association ought to study it and comment on it as quickly as possible.

"The Ghana Bar Association cannot be silent on this matter. The Ghana Bar Association ought to guide us and lead us in a discussion of this matter, which is at the base of the system of prosecution in our country. How can the Ghana Bar Association keep quiet on this matter?" he quizzed.

Pratt Jr. added, "They cannot, and we are all expecting the Ghana Bar Association to comment on this matter."

He also said that the matter should not be politicized because members of the two leading political parties, the ruling New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), don't know when they might come under a similar ordeal.

About the allegations against Godfred Dame:

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), true to its promise, provided evidence of the supposed misdeeds of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Dame, in the ongoing trial of the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.

The NDC accused Godfred Dame of unethical and unprofessional conduct when the third accused person in the ambulance purchase trial, businessman Richard Jakpa, alleged in court that the AG had meetings with him on how to implicate the first accused, Ato Forson.

The third accused claimed that the Attorney General wanted his cooperation to jail Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson; a claim Dame flatly denied.

At a press conference in Accra, on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, the NDC played a 16-minute audio recording of a phone call conversation between Godfred Dame and Richard Jakpa, on the day the third accused was supposed to testify in court.

In the recording, Dame is heard urging the third accused to testify in a manner that differs from an explanation given to him (Jakpa).

Before the AG's request, Jakpa explained that Ato Forson had done no wrong with the LCs he signed.

He could be heard telling the Attorney General 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.

Dame continued to ask Jakpa to accept his position because it would not cause him any problems, but the third accused insisted he was not going to say anything contrary to what he knew as the truth.

The Attorney General is also heard in the recording telling Jakpa to fabricate a medical excuse so that he could travel.

BAI/OGB



Meanwhile, catch up on the latest edition of The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV as Etsey Atisu sat down with the MP for Mpraeso, Davis Ansah Opoku, to discuss issues surrounding the E-Levy, the Saglemi Housing Controversy, and the OSP Impeachment:





Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.