Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Dr Dominic Ayine has justified his decision to discontinue the trial of Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, describing the case as a politically motivated prosecution.
Addressing the press on Wednesday, February 12, 2024, Dr Ayine revealed that upon assuming office and reviewing the case, he found no legal basis to proceed with the trial.
“I believed then, and still believe now, that Hon. Ato Forson was a victim of a political witch-hunt and that he has no case to answer in this trial,” he said.
According to him, the Court of Appeal’s ruling, which overturned the trial court’s decision to call on the accused persons to open their defence, further vindicated his position.
“That position was vindicated by the erudite judgment of the Court of Appeal, which ruled that the trial court erred in calling upon the accused persons to mount their defence. When the then Attorney General vowed to file an appeal and actually went ahead to do so, I took the view that it was done to save face and that there was not a scintilla of merit to his appeal. Indeed, the appeal was, to say the least, incompetent,” he said.
The AG’s decision to discontinue the controversial ambulance procurement case involving Dr Ato Forson and businessman Richard Jakpa was formalized in a notice issued by his office two weeks ago.
Background
Dr Ato Forson and businessman Richard Jakpa were accused of causing a financial loss of €2.37 million in a deal to procure 200 ambulances between 2014 and 2016.
As Deputy Finance Minister at the time, Dr Ato Forson approved letters of credit on behalf of then Finance Minister Seth Terkper for the procurement, while Mr Jakpa acted as the local representative of Big Sea General Trading Limited, the Dubai-based supplier.
Prosecutors alleged that 30 ambulances delivered under the deal did not meet specifications and were “not fit for purpose.”
However, Dr. Ayine maintains that the case had no legal merit, reinforcing his decision to discontinue the trial.
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
