Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the primary defendant in the ongoing ambulance trial, has petitioned the Chief Justice to televise the remainder of the proceedings.
The minority leader stated that “In the wake of the recent exposé concerning the alleged misconduct of the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, I have instructed my lawyers to petition the Chief Justice for the live broadcast of all subsequent proceedings in the Ambulance Trial. This request is motivated by a deep commitment to transparency and open justice, principles that are fundamental to a fair and impartial legal system.”
Dr. Ato Forson explained in a letter from his lawyers, Aziz Bamba and Associates, dated Thursday, 30 May, 2024, and addressed to the Chief Justice that the request was prompted by recent allegations of misconduct against Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame.
However, the Office of the Attorney General says it is unfazed by the request for a live telecast of the controversial ambulance case.
Speaking on Joy FM‘s Top Story, Deputy Attorney General, Alfred Tuah Yeboah, indicated his office would not protest any such development.
He told Kojo Brace that his office believes in accountability and therefore “If the Chief Justice in her wisdom decides that this matter should be live, we have no objection to same.”
“In fact, the AG has indicated at different fora that when it comes to public interest matters or matters where the public has kind of interest, it will be in the interest of justice that such proceedings are broadcast live on television and radio,” he said yesterday.
Last week, the third accused, Richard Jakpa, claimed that the Attorney-General had encouraged him to provide false testimony against Dr Ato Forson in the ongoing trial.
In support of Jakpa’s allegations, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) released a 16-minute recording purportedly capturing a conversation between the Attorney General and Richard Jakpa.
The recording allegedly disclosed Dame coaching Richard Jakpa on what statements to make in court to incriminate Dr Ato Forson.
At a press conference on May 28, NDC’s National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah asserted that the tape exposed a coaching session aimed at manipulating Jakpa’s testimony.
In light of these developments, Dr Ato Forson argued that broadcasting the trial live would ensure transparency and uphold the principles of open justice, allowing citizens to form informed opinions and hold participants accountable.
“The allegations against the Attorney-General are deeply concerning. If true, they represent a serious breach of public trust and a threat to the integrity of our judicial system. It is imperative that these allegations be thoroughly investigated and that the public be given the opportunity to witness the proceedings first-hand,” Ato Forson later posted on social media.
Meanwhile, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has debunked as a failed attempt to hold the minority leader accountable, the allegations by Richard Jakpa, the 3rd accused in the ongoing trial, that the Attorney General, Godfred Dame, has on several occasions met him privately at odd hours, in person and on phone to coax him to testify to implicate Ato Forson, in the ongoing Ambulance case
Responding to what the party said was a doctored audio tape which was played by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) earlier in the afternoon last Tuesday, Lawyer Frank Davies, told a packed press conference, that “It is unacceptable, that Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, runs a commentary over the alleged tape calculated to prevent you the Ghanian people from making your own deduction reasoned judgment.”
He added that, “even though from the screenshots displayed, the alleged conversation is 26mins, the NDC schemed to play only 16 minutes. The question then is, where is the rest of the tape. Even in respect of what was played, it is apparent that there are repetitions, overlaps, incoherence, voice overs and distortions, demonstrating that, the NDC has spent these past days doctoring whatever tape they played.”
Even on the Doctored tape, Lawyer Davies observed that the Attorney General never requested the witness falsify, fabricate or concoct any evidence or testify in the prosecution’s favour.
