Businessman, Richard Jakpa has said he told Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame that the previous NDC government had resolved all the problems surrounding the purchase of ambulances but was only left with its “implementation.”
He said, he pointed it out to the AG that, “if there was any financial loss by the time they implement the addendum, that financial loss would have been occasioned by his then Minister of Health, Hon. Agyemang Manu for all these years,” due to his inactions.
Mr Jakpa, a businessman made this known in Court during his cross examination by lawyers of Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the first accused person.
Dr Ato Forson, the current minority leader in parliament, and businessman Richard Jakpa have been accused of willfully causing financial loss to the republic to the tune of 2.37 million euros through the purchase of ambulances.
They have pleaded not guilty and are standing trial.
In his responses to questions during the cross examination from Dr Aziz Bamba before the Court presided over by Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, he said he gave the minister letter from Alex Segbefia, the former minister of Health.
“I gave him a letter dated 20th February, 2015. I also gave him a letter which was a letter from the Former Minister of Health, Hon. Alex Segbefia who had nominated government officials to proceed to Dubai to Big Sea for Dispute Resolution which led to this addendum.
Also, “I forwarded to him the invitation letter from Big Sea to the government of Ghana based on which the nomination personnel were sent to Dubai and I also forwarded to him the final addendum of the main contract as a result of Dispute Resolution which took place in Dubai which contained obligations for Big Sea and obligation for government in the implementation of the addendum to the main contract.
“These were the documents I submitted to him,” he told the Court.
“You may want to know why I gave these specific documents and it was that I wanted him to read them and realize that all the problems that started from the inception of the project till the time the new government of NPP took over had been resolved through the dispute resolution clause in the contract (i.e. Exhibit V) which led to the addendum signed by both parties and all that was left was for his government and his Minister of Health to implement the addendum in order to save the government any debt that might be coming from us to government and that there was no any financial loss by anyone except his government that took over from 2017 and has refused to implement the addendum from the previous government.
He said, “I told him if there was any financial loss by the time they implement the addendum, that financial loss would have been occasioned by his then Minister of Health, Hon. Agyemang Manu for all these years.”
“It was then that he told me he was going to read through all these documents and that I should not worry, I will surely be discharged at the submission of no case,” he stated.
Responding to a question from Dr. Aziz Bamba that, the court’s ruling in the submission of no case as well as its ruling on June 6, 2024, “it is stated that it was settled that the ambulances in the state that they were delivered could not serve any useful purpose.”
But, Mr Jakpa disagreed.
Counsel put to Mr Jakpa that, under the terms of the contract, was when the ambulances were to be handed over to the Ministry of Health to be used as ambulances.
Responding to that, Mr. Jakpa said, “per the contract, letters of credit (LC) were supposed to have been established immediately upon the signing of the contract but the government of Ghana reneged and breached the terms.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Murtala Inusah
