Deputy Attorney-General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah has clarified that the Office of the Attorney-General was “fair and candid” in refusing a plea bargain request from one of the accused in the ongoing ambulance purchase trial.
According to him, the discretion vested in the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame to either reject or accept such an offer was properly exercised.
“For that matter, we have no reservations or problems with regards to the decision taken by the Attorney-General as to rejecting the offer,” he said on Joy FM on Thursday, May 30.
The Attorney-General has released the full details of plea bargain letters sent to his office by the third accused, Richard Jakpa, in the ongoing ambulance purchase case.
This action comes after Jakpa claimed in open court that Godfred Dame approached him multiple times, seeking his assistance to implicate the first accused, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
Dismissing Jakpa’s claims, the Attorney-General insisted that Jakpa had actually sent several letters requesting a plea bargain to drop all charges against the accused.
He added that,, the proposal has not yet been accepted.
“It is rather the third accused who, by various letters dated 27th April 2023, 16th May 2023, 30th May 2023 and 12th 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,” Mr Dame stated.
Commenting on the Attorney-General’s refusal to accept the plea bargain when the accused has offered to pay the money, Mr Tuah-Yeboah said that when it comes to prosecution, it takes the A-G’s responsibility to mount criminal prosecution.
He explained that, it is not true that when prosecuting a matter, the sole purpose is to recover the money.
“It can be to recover or prosecute and get punishment or both and so in his [Godfred Yeboah Dame] wisdom, and based on the offer made, the Attorney-General decided that this offer ought to be rejected and the same was rejected,” he said.