€2.37m ambulance financial loss case adjourned to April 9

The trial of Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader, and Richard Jakpa, a businessman, for allegedly caus­ing financial loss of €2.37 million to the state in an ambulance deal, has been adjourned to April 9 for continuation.

This is because Mr Jakpa has engaged the service of a new lawyer, Mr Thaddeus Sory, to represent him.

The court, presided over by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe, had earlier issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Mr Japka, who allegedly absented from court proceedings.

Justice Botwe, a Court of Appeal judge, sitting with addition­al responsibility as a High Court judge, had told the parties that the trial would not go beyond May 31, 2024.

Dr Sylvester Anemana, the second accused, a former Chief Director at the Ministry of Health (MoH), who was earlier charged together with the two, has been discharged, after the Attorney General’s Office filed a Nolle­Prosequi to discontinue with charges against him.

Dr Forson, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ajumako Enyan-Essiam Constituency, in the Central Region, is standing trial with two others for willfully caus­ing financial loss to the state.

The two others, Sylvester Anemana and a private business­man, Richard Jakpa, are being prosecuted for allegedly and wilful­ly causing financial loss of (Euro) €2.37 million to the state, following the procurement of 200 ambulanc­es for the MoH.

They all pleaded not guilty to intentionally misapplying public property and are currently on bail.

Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice (A-G), prosecuting, said that on August 7, 2014, Dr Forson wrote to the Bank of Ghana (BoG) “urgently requesting to es­tablish the Letters of Credit for the supply of 50 ambulances amount­ing to €3,950,000, representing 25 per cent of the contract sum, while arrangements were being made to perfect and sign the loan agree­ment in favour of Big Sea.”

The A-G said on August 12, 2014, Dr Forson wrote to the Controller and Accountant-Gen­eral authorising the release of GH¢806,688.75 to the Minister of Health for the payment of bank charges covering the establishment of Letters of Credit (LCs) for the supply of 50 Mercedes Benz am­bulances and related services.

Mr Dame said Dr Forson fur­ther directed that the LCs should be charged to the budget of the MoH contrary to parliamentary approval on the funding for the supply of the ambulances.

The A-G said the Controller and Accountant-General on the authority of the letters, dated August 7 and 12, 2014, written by DrForson to the BoG, autho­rised it to establish an irrevocable transferable LCs in the sum of €3,950,000 in favour of Big Sea.