The National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Henry Nana Boakye otherwise known as Nana B, has refuted allegations that Attorney General Godfred Dame influenced Richard Jakpa’s statements in the ongoing Ambulance case.
In an audio conversation released by the opposition National Democratic Congress, Mr Dame attempts to coerce Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ambulance case to implicate the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
The tape was released after Richard Jakpa disclosed in open court that he had been receiving calls from the Attorney General at unusual hours, allegedly to implicate the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
Dr. Ato Forson, the current Minority Leader and former Deputy Finance Minister, is under trial for his alleged involvement in the procurement of defective ambulances for Ghana. This case has triggered public discourse, with some advocating for the resignation of the Attorney General.
In an interview on Citi TV’s The Point of View, Nana B refuted claims that the AG initiated contact with the third defendant, emphasising that the meeting was requested by Mr. Jakpa.
He insisted that the Attorney General did not instruct the third defendant on what to say in the alleged leaked recording.
Nana B described Mr. Jakpa’s claim that the AG called him at midnight as a “complete lie”.
He questioned why the NDC did not play the full recording, arguing that the 10 minutes omitted from the 26-minute tape is significant.
“The NDC were disingenuous, the NDC in one of what is supposed to be their evidence, had edited and cut out the portion the guy [Jakpa] introduces himself… I brought out the fact that it is not as though the AG who made contact or approached Mr Jakpa, never.
“Mr Jakpa in one of his testimonies to the court said that he has been receiving calls from the AG at midnight and all of that. Complete lie, but he said it in court. I was trying to tell the whole world that if anybody even requested for a meeting, it was Mr Jakpa who requested it and introduced himself as the brother to the Supreme Court Judge Justice Yonny Kulendi.
“You also remember that they indicated that the conversation lasted for 26 minutes, ask yourself why they cut out 10 whole minutes. And only played 16 minutes. Because the conversation had started from somewhere and that conversation in the morning was a continuation of the said meeting, they had. All of these were about plea bargaining and plea negotiations.
“That is why we’re saying this tape is heavily doctored, heavily manipulated. It is cut and pieced together to achieve a certain malicious intent. How come they played only 16 minutes? 10 minutes is a lot…I have listened to the heavily manipulated tape, nowhere did the Attorney General direct Mr Jakpa what to say,” he told host Bernard Avle.
Nana B explained that the Attorney General agreed to the conversation with Mr. Jakpa because he had, at that time, disengaged his lawyer.
“At that moment, Mr Jakpa had disengaged his lawyer. In fact, he had changed lawyers three times. When they had that meeting at Justice Kulendi’s house, he didn’t have a representation.
“He had disengaged his lawyer. Throughout that period, he didn’t have. That was the very reason why the AG was engaging him on adjournment. This is very normal,” he underscored.
He emphasised that the AG will not “resign today nor tomorrow.”
—–
Explore the world of impactful news with CitiNewsroom on WhatsApp!
Click on the link to join the Citi Newsroom channel for curated, meaningful stories tailored just for YOU: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x
No spams, just the stories that truly matter! #StayInformed #CitiNewsroom #CNRDigital