The Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, has denied releasing the dismissal letter of Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ongoing ambulance trial, to the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul.
According to him, no request for the letter had come to his desk, making it impossible for him to explain how the minister obtained the document.
This came up during today, Monday, July 29, 2024 court session. During the cross-examination by Jakpa’s lawyer, the CDS reiterated that he had not released the letter to the Minister of Defence.
“My lady, as the Chief of Defence Staff, I have never received any request to release any document to anybody. So I can’t answer to that,” he said.
It will be recalled that the Deputy Attorney-General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, while cross-examining Jakpa on Thursday, June 27, 2024, tendered into evidence a letter purportedly written to dismiss Jakpa from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in 2007.
According to Tuah-Yeboah, the letter originated from the office of the defence minister and included allegations of misconduct and breaches of military protocols, leading to Jakpa’s dismissal.
Jakpa’s lawyers objected to the tendering of the letter, questioning its relevance. However, the presiding judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, admitted the document into evidence, noting that the witness had already acknowledged the document and could speak to it. She added that the cover letters were official documents and were admissible to establish credibility or otherwise.
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
