The trial judge in the ongoing ambulance procurement case has issued a notice, giving parties until the end of Friday, June 14, to file all disclosures they wish to rely on for the remainder of the case.
Failure to comply with this order within the specified time-frame will permanently bar them from submitting any further disclosures.
According to the judge, this order is intended to prevent ambush tactics and ensure a fair and expedited trial.
The directive was given on Thursday after more than three hours of cross-examination of the third accused, Richard Jakpa, by lead counsel for the first accused, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
In an explosive testimony on Thursday, Richard Jakpa detailed how he met the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, four times after initiating the first contact.
He told the court that between 12:20 am and 12:30 am on March 25-26, 2024, he was ambushed by the Attorney General at the residence of his cousin, Supreme Court Judge Justice, Yonny Kulendi.
Mr Jakpa contended that the judge had assured him that Godfred Yeboah Dame, with whom he had had verbal altercations during a phone call made on his cousin’s cell phone, was leaving and invited him to come over.
“As soon as I entered the house, to my left was the Attorney General, so I panicked and stopped and told my cousin that I told you I didn’t want to see him” he stated.
It was at that meeting, according to Richard Jakpa, that the Attorney General informed him that the prosecution’s target was the Minority Leader, and that Jakpa was merely an agent.
Mr Jakpa also told the court that Seth Terkper, the substantive Minister of Finance at the time of the procurement, explicitly signed the contract because he is the only one authorised to affix the Finance Minister’s security seal on Letters of Credit, which are central to the case and trial.
The third accused testified that in his experience as a businessman dealing with governments, letters from Chief Directors or Deputy Ministers would typically be sent to the office of the substantive Minister of Finance.
The substantive Secretary would then seek the Minister’s approval, after which the Secretary would bring the authorisation seal to be affixed on the Letter of Credit. This seal is necessary before the Controller and Accountant General or the Bank of Ghana can implement the letter’s instructions.
Without the authorisation security seal of the substantive Minister of Finance, the Controller and Accountant General’s Department or the Bank of Ghana will not act on any letter instructing them to debit any account of Ghana, both local and international.
This security measure ensures that only the Finance Minister’s approval and knowledge can permit the debiting of Ghana’s consolidated account for payment for any work done or service rendered to any agency, Ministry or department
State prosecutors will continue to cross-examine Richard Jakpa when the court reconvenes on Tuesday, June 18.
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