Felix Kwakye Ofosu, a spokesperson of the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Dramani Mahama, has said that the third accused person in the Ato Forson trial, Richard Jakpa insists that he has not said anything that is untrue in the ongoing case.
Speaking to journalists after court proceedings on Thursday, June 20, he said “we get the sense that the Attorney-General wants to say that Mr Jakpa is doing this in retribution for what he believed to be the Attorney-General’s failure to fulfill his part of the bargain.
“But the point is that Mr Jakpa insisted that he has no not said anything that hasn’t happened. If I had discussions with you and we agreed that you should do something and you failed to do it and I come out to say we agreed that we would do this and you didn’t do it, I have not said anything that is not true.”
For his part, Deputy Attorney-General Alfred Tuah Yeboah said that the proceedings in court on Thursday, June 20 met the expectations of the prosecution.
He said documents were shown to the accused for which particular answers were given which met their expectations.
“You witnessed it, you heard matters, make your own judgment out of what you heard. You heard issues about someone operating in the underworld, as well as someone using his legal skills, all these things came up, so interesting proceedings. We showed some documents to him just to ensure that he answered certain questions. I think that the proceedings for today 9Thursday June 20] have met our expectations,” he also told journalists after the court proceedings on Thursday.
During cross-examination, Richard Jakpa disclosed circumstances that led to him blacklisting the Attorney-General as his ‘sworn enemy’.
https://editors.3news.com/news/ato-forson-trial-you-heard-about-someone-operating-in-underworld-interesting-proceedings-tuah-yeboah/
According to the third accused in the ambulance procurement trial, after clandestinely meeting Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, on the blind side of his lawyer to make a deal in order to be discharged, the prosecution went ahead to add him to the accused persons, and he was made to open his defense.
Jakpa told the court while under cross-examination by Director of Public Prosecution that following their agreement, he gave some relevant documents to the Attorney- General which was relied on to build the prosecution’s case in the trial.
But DPP Yvonne Attakorah Obuobisa dismissed his assertions, adding that the said documents had already been filed by prosecution 5 months prior to his meeting with the A-G.
Jakpa further noted that after assurances made by Godfred Yeboah Dame in the house of his cousin, Justice Yonny Kulendi, the A-G reneged on his promise.
“When the ruling came, I was not surprised because I know the modus operandi of the current government when cutting deals with people they see as their political opponents. They never keep to their end of the bargain. So, I confronted Justice Kulendi. I sent him a message that I have been asked to open my defense as envisaged. Then Justice Kulendi responded on WhatsApp to me that don’t worry and said your friend said he will call you if practically doable… has he called you? Then I responded no. Then he sent another message come home…
“It was that day and that night that I declared war on the A-G. I told him that any man who deliberately decides to take the liberty of another man without any justifiable cause would never be my friend till eternity.
“And I told the two of them that he, A-G is a lawyer, he is using his law skills and knowledge to take my liberty away from me unjustly and I’m also going to use my underworld skills to pay him and deal with him. I said use what you know best in your law and I’ll also use what I know best on the street and will see who will survive.
“So, I am concerned there is a war between the two of us whether I’m jailed or acquitted. Because he’s trying to jail me and take my liberty as a citizen, he has caused me pain, destroyed my reputation and stripped me of everything I have worked for over decades and that cannot be paid by an acquittal because of the judge that is adjudicating the trial. He and my cousin tried to calm me down, but the battle line had already been drawn.” Jakpa indicated in court.
