The High Court in Accra has admitted into evidence 68 WhatsApp messages sent by Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ongoing ambulance procurement trial, to Attorney-General Godfred Dame, along with the AG’s two responses.
Trial judge, Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe noted that the court had previously admitted WhatsApp chats from the third accused, and therefore could not reject what the prosecution described as the complete conversation.
However, she emphasised that the court reserves the right to determine the weight of the evidence presented.
During the proceedings on Tuesday, June 18, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa highlighted the significant number of messages sent by Mr. Jakpa in contrast to the limited responses from the Attorney-General.
The DPP sought to introduce all of Mr. Jakpa’s WhatsApp messages into evidence.
Mr. Jakpa admitted that he introduced himself to the Attorney-General before the trial and obtained the Justice Minister’s contact information through his cousin, Supreme Court Judge Justice Yonny Kulendi.
Under cross-examination, he acknowledged that the messages presented in court did not represent the entire conversation but were selectively chosen for their relevance to his case.
The DPP’s attempt to submit the full WhatsApp conversation faced objections from Mr. Sory, counsel for Mr. Jakpa, who argued that the defense needed more time to thoroughly review the messages.
Despite these objections, the court has admitted the WhatsApp chats from the AG into evidence.
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