Ambulance case: Audio of recording of Godfred Dame, Richard Jakpa doctored – NPP

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) says an audio containing the alleged conversation between the Attorney-General and Richard Jakpa, an accused person in a criminal trial, was doctored and skewed to smear the integrity and reputation of A-G, Godfred Dame.

The largest opposition party on May 28 played a 16-minute audio recording claiming to be a conversation between Godfred Yeboah Dame and Richard Jakpa.

The Attorney General has since come under heavy criticism as calls heighten for his resignation.

According to the National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the tape confirms that indeed Godfred Dame had attempted to make Richard Jakpa indict the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, in the ambulance case, and the audio was proof.

During the trial last week, Mr. Jakpa claimed that the Attorney-General had previously approached him to help build a case against the former Deputy Finance Minister.

In a sharp rebuttal to the claims of the NDC, the NPP believes that the alleged conversation between the third accused, Richard Jakpa, and the Attorney-General was fabricated by the NDC.

Chairman of the Legal Affairs of the NPP, Frank Davies at a news conference here in Accra said “Even though from the screenshots displayed, the alleged conversation is 26 minutes, the NDC schemed to play only 16 minutes.

"The question then is, where is the rest of the tape? Even in respect of what was played, it is apparent that there are repetitions, overlaps, incoherence, voiceovers and distortions, demonstrating that, the NDC has spent these past days doctoring whatever tape they played.”

According to Mr. Davies, the Attorney General never requested the witness falsify, fabricate, or concoct any evidence or testify in the prosecution’s favour.

“We would like to also put on record, that as of February 2022 when Jakpa requested for a meeting with the AG, the AG never met him and never made any arrangement through the Supreme Court Justice, Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi. It was not until the AG was invited to the residence of Justice Yonny Kulendi in 2023 that he surprisingly met Richard Jakpa at the residence,” he said.

Mr. Davies further added the 3rd accused person is contrived to curtail the prosecution of Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson and smear the integrity and reputation of the Attorney General.

“The latest allegation by Richard Jakpa, the 3rd accused and an associate of Cassiel Ato Forson in this botched ambulance procurement transaction is therefore only a further ploy, contrived to curtail the prosecution of Ato Forson and smear the Attorney General’s integrity and reputation.

"But this would also not see the light of day as we believe firmly that public officials, regardless of social standing must be equally accountable for their use of public resources. Needless to say, the law is no respecter of persons,” he said.