Former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, on Monday, October 6, reported to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
This follows an official invitation linked to a petition filed against him by Richard Jakpa, a Director of Special Operations at the National Security Secretariat.
Mr Jakpa has petitioned the CID, calling for an investigation into allegations that Mr Dame fabricated evidence during his tenure as Attorney-General in the high-profile ambulance procurement case, which involved Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, now the Minister for Finance, and himself as co-accused.
In his petition dated September 23 this year and addressed to the Director-General of the CID, Mr Jakpa alleges that during the trial, Mr Dame attempted to influence his testimony to incriminate Dr Forson.
According to Jakpa, the Attorney-General at the time urged him to testify in a “dishonest, wicked and unconscionable” manner, and to procure a false medical excuse duty to mislead the court, actions which he claims amount to the criminal offence of fabrication of evidence.
The petition outlines a series of interactions between the two men. Mr Jakpa claims that on 26th March 2024, ahead of his court appearance, Mr Dame called him directly, suggesting that he tailor his testimony during cross-examination to fit the Attorney-General’s preferred narrative regarding the Letters of Credit at the centre of the case.
Jakpa alleges that when he objected, Mr Dame insisted there would be no repercussions and further suggested he obtain a medical excuse to delay proceedings until his return from an overseas trip. Jakpa says he declined this “criminal, dishonest and unethical” proposal.
Mr Dame appeared at the CID Headquarters in Accra on Monday morning in the company of a team of lawyers who accompanied him to respond to the petition.
The case relates to the ongoing legal fallout from the ambulance procurement trial, which has attracted intense public and political attention.
The CID is expected to review the petition, the attached evidence, including a recording of the alleged phone conversation, and statements from all parties involved before determining its next steps.
At the time of this report, JoyNews Kwaku Asante reported that, some party supporters of the opposition NPP stormed the Police Headquarters in solidarity of the former A.G but were managed by the police.
Background
Mr Jakpa and Dr Cassiel Ato Forson were both accused in January 2022 of causing financial loss to the state in the procurement of ambulances for Ghana’s health sector.
Mr Jakpa was the third accused in the trial, which was before the Financial Division of the High Court in Accra.
The allegations against Mr Dame strike at the heart of the integrity of the Attorney-General’s office, raising serious questions about prosecutorial conduct in one of the country’s most politically charged cases.
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