Ambulance case: Richard Jakpa files application to strike out charges against him

Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ongoing ambulance trial, has filed a court application seeking to have the charges against him dismissed or, alternatively, to have the proceedings against him stayed.

The application was submitted on Thursday, May 30, by his lawyer Thaddeus Sory of Messrs @ Law Counsel.

In the application, Jakpa argues that the charges and proceedings initiated by Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame constitute an abuse of court processes and violate the obligations set forth in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

He contends that the Attorney-General is misusing his constitutional powers by prosecuting him without justification.

Mr Jakpa also claims that in private conversations, the Attorney-General admitted that there is no case against him.

This assertion further supports Mr Jakpa’s argument that the prosecution is unwarranted and constitutes an abuse of power.

“The Attorney-General at whose instance the Third Accused/ Applicant is being prosecuted in the instant suit has brought the charges and instituted the proceedings in abuse of the process of the court and contrary to his constitutional obligations under articles 23 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution.”

Last week, Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the case, claimed that the Attorney-General had encouraged him to provide false testimony against Dr. Ato Forson during the trial.

To support Mr Jakpa’s allegations, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) released a 16-minute phone recording purportedly capturing a conversation between Attorney-General Godfred Dame and Mr Jakpa.

The recording allegedly reveals Dame coaching Jakpa on what statements to make in court to incriminate Dr. Ato Forson.

At a press conference on May 28, NDC Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia asserted that the tape exposed a coaching session intended to manipulate Mr Jakpa’s testimony.

Source: myjoyonline