By: Kobina Baidoo
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has demanded the immediate dismissal of Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, following the release of an audio recording purportedly exposing his alleged malicious intent towards the Minority Leader, Ato Cassiel Forson, in his court trial.
During a press conference held by the NDC on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at the NDC Headquarters, the party presented evidence intended to demonstrate the “Unprofessional and Criminal Conduct of the Attorney General in the Ato Forson Trial.”
The trial involves allegations against Ato Cassiel Forson, who is accused of causing a financial loss of €2.3 million to the state by purchasing 200 ordinary vans purported to be ambulances. The NDC refutes these claims, stating that the first batch of hospital vehicles was fully equipped with necessary hospital equipment.
NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, who spoke at the gathering, revealed that the party initially chose to stay away from the pending court trial. However, a press release issued by the Attorney General on Monday, May 27, 2024, prompted the NDC to address the matter publicly and set the record straight regarding the ambulance case.
The NDC’s presentation included images showing the first batch of 30 hospital vehicles purchased from Big Sea General Trading, asserting that these ambulances arrived in Ghana fully equipped.
The NDC official criticized the Ministry of Health for failing to clear additional requisite equipment, which had been purchased and had arrived in Ghana eight years ago, from the ports. “A container load of additional medical equipment was also purchased and arrived in Ghana eight years ago; all that was required of this government to do was to clear the medical equipment from the ports and give engineers of Big Sea access to the ambulances which have been parked at the Air Force base in Accra to install them, train personnel to use them and then formally take possession of the said ambulances.”
The NDC Chairman also alleged that the Attorney General repeatedly approached businessman and third accused, Richard Jakpa, with deals to exclude him from the case. These encounters, unbeknownst to the lawyers involved, included WhatsApp chats, meetings at the residence of a current judge, and phone call recorded as evidence of the Attorney General’s alleged plans.
This audio recording contradicts a recent statement by the Attorney General denying involvement in any meetings related to the case. Nketiah highlighted this as a breach of professional conduct, citing Rule 41 of LI 2324, which mandates that a prosecutor must act “resolutely and honorably within the limit of the law” and treat the court with “candor, fairness, courtesy, and respect.”
The NDC has called on the government to take several actions to restore the integrity of Ghana’s justice system. These actions include the immediate dismissal and prosecution of the Attorney General for multiple legal violations, the commencement of disciplinary proceedings by the General Legal Council, and a publicly televised parliamentary inquiry into all reports of judicial manipulation, aimed at censuring the Attorney General to prevent future misconduct.
“Clearly, Mr. Dame is not fit to hold himself out as Attorney General and Minister of Justice. He is unfit to be the leader of the Ghana Bar; the government has no evidence of wrongdoing against the Minority Leader but is only involved in fabrications to persecute him for his strong opposition to the economic mismanagement and general misrule of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government,” Asiedu Nketiah concluded.