Ambulance case: Ato Forson replies Deputy Attorney General

In his current ambulance trial, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader, claims he has not requested a plea deal.

The Deputy Attorney General, Alfred Tuah Yeboah, was stated to have confirmed the aforementioned application, which the former Deputy Finance Minister called “false and wicked.”

The Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam MP claimed in a press release released on Friday, October 13, that the report’s purpose is to incite the populace against him.

“My attention has been drawn to a reportage attributed to the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Alfred Tuah Yeboah, claiming that I have sought a plea bargain arrangement with the Office of the Attorney-General.”

“This claim is false, wicked and evil and is intended to incite public prejudice against me and undermine my right to fair trial.”

He has thus requested that the public ignore the same in its entirety.

“I wish to state that I have not, at any point in time, approached anyone or authority to consider or discuss the said plea bargain that has been attributed to me.“

During his tenure as Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. Ato Forson, together with Sylvester Anemana, a former director of the Ministry of Health, and Richard Jakpa, a businessman, are accused of creating financial loss in the procurement of certain ambulances.

The Attorney General claims that because the ambulances were substandard when they were purchased, the state lost €2.37 million. Each of the three has entered a not guilty plea.

On July 27, 2023, attorneys for Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the minority leader, filed a motion asking the presiding judge to step out from the case. They were led by Dr. Abdul Baasit Bamba.

According to Dr. Bamba, the judge’s handling of the request for her own recusal was illegal. This request was made following Justice Botwe’s disclosure of the resolution to a petition that Richard Jakpa, another defendant in the case, had submitted to the Chief Justice.

After an altercation with the judge at a previous court case, Mr. Jakpa had accused the judge of prejudice.

Justice Botwe said at the hearing that she could move on with the case based on a letter she received from the Chief Justice. The court was subsequently informed of their move for recusal by Dr. Bamba.

He stated that the politician had been concerned that he may not get a fair trial because of some remarks the judge had made. Dr. Bamba drew attention to the legal concept that the judge in question should not decide whether to recuse themselves from a case where there are severe charges of prejudice, like the one at hand.