Ambulance Case: Court admits Jakpa's dismissal letter as evidence

The Deputy Attorney General (AG), Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, presented Richard Jakpa’s dismissal letter from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) as evidence in the ongoing ambulance procurement trial.

Despite objections from the defense, the judge admitted the document into evidence on Thursday, June 27.

The prosecution argued that Jakpa’s dismissal letter was crucial for establishing his character and the circumstances of his involvement in the ambulance procurement process.

The letter outlined reasons for Jakpa’s termination, including allegations of misconduct and breaches of military protocols.

Deputy AG Tuah-Yeboah emphasized the relevance of Jakpa's dismissal, suggesting it indicated a pattern of behavior critical for understanding the broader context of the allegations.

He argued that Jakpa's dismissal for misconduct undermines his reliability and trustworthiness, key factors in assessing the validity of his testimony and actions related to the procurement case.

However, Defense Attorneys objected, arguing that the dismissal letter was prejudicial and unrelated to the core issues of the trial. They contended that Jakpa's past employment records should not influence the court's assessment of the current charges and insisted the focus should remain on evidence directly related to the ambulance case.

They requested the court to disregard the letter as inadmissible, citing concerns of bias.

After a brief recess, the judge ruled to admit the letter into evidence, rejecting the defense's objections. She based her decision on section 60 concerning personal knowledge and section 126 on official records.

Jakpa, however, claimed that the attachment titled "Release from service for unsatisfactory conduct" was unfamiliar to him.

NAY/MA

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