Ato Forson’s case: Government should be blamed for deterioration of ambulances - 3rd accused

The third accused person in the ongoing trial of the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson; Richard Jakpa, a businessman, has accused the government of being responsible for the deteriorating state of the ambulances at the heart of the trial.

According to him, the vehicles are deteriorating because the government has decided not to engage the company, which was supposed to operationalise them into functional ambulances, 3news.com reports.

The 3rd accused, who is reported to have made these remarks during his testimony in court, stated that the government failed to cooperate with Big Sea Limited, the company responsible for shipping the ambulances and installing the required accessories.

His witness statement indicated that Big Sea Limited had shipped the necessary accessories as per the government's request. However, upon arrival, the government did not assist in clearing the accessories or facilitate their installation as outlined in the addendum.

"I must repeat that in this case the government has not complained that the ambulances were not supplied. The government admits that the vehicles were supplied but complains that what was supplied were without accessories.

"The government has not rejected the goods, already paid for them and has further actually committed in principle to continue paying for subsequent productions until all the 200 ambulances are supplied.

"The government and Big Sea have agreed that Big Sea should supply the accessories, of which Big Sea has supplied since 2016, but the government has since and still, without terminating the contract, refused to cooperate to enable Big Sea to install the supplied accessories agreed in the addendum to the contract by clearing the accessories and notifying Big Sea to proceed to fly down to Ghana and fix the accessories as stated in the addendum," he is quoted to have said.

He added, "For the past seven years, the government has reneged on implementing the addendum negotiated by both parties."

Background:

Dr Ato Forson, a former Deputy Minister for Finance; Sylvester Anemana, a former Chief Director at the Ministry of Health, and a private businessman, Richard Jakpa, are standing trial for allegedly wilfully causing financial loss of €2.37 million to the state, through a contract to purchase 200 ambulances for the Ministry of Health.

The trial of the former deputy minister and the two others started on 18 January 2022, before the court presided over by Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, a Court of Appeal Judge sitting as an additional High Court Judge.

They have pleaded not guilty to the five counts of wilfully causing financial loss to the state, abetment of crime, contravention of the Public Procurement Act, and intentionally misapplying public property.

The state in March 2024 opted to discontinue the case against the former Chief Director at the Ministry, who is currently undergoing further care in India due to health complications.

BAI/SARA

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