Sammy Gyamfi
National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has accepted a general caution by an Accra High Court judge, that political commentary on an ongoing trial needed to be toned down.
Gyamfi, however, holds that a direct caution to him by the judge over a recent comment in Ato Forson, another vs. The State, was a misinterpretation of his comments.
“In principle, the caution of the court was in order, we, in the NDC agree with it, that is why from the outset, we in the NDC have been very circumspect in what we say and have ensured that the court is not in any way or form scandalized,” he said earlier this week.
Justice Afia Asare-Botwe addressing the court on May 28, 2024, expressed discomfort with Gyamfi’s remarks suggesting that "if somebody can call an accused person without his lawyer, then that person can call a judge."
Gyamfi clarified his statement in court, asserting that he did not specifically refer to the judge presiding over the case or her court.
“I think the particular reference to me was something that in my humble opinion the court got wrong. I took the opportunity to draw the court's attention was not about this court or the presiding judge in this trial,” he told pressmen outside the court.
A-G Godfred Dame is under pressure to resign after an audio in which he is purportedly heard speaking to an accused person in the ambulance purchase trial was published.
Jakpa, the third accused person is heard discussing a range of issues with Dame with some content interpreted as coaching Jakpa to implicate the first accused, Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader and former Deputy Finance Minister.
Forson and Jakpa are accused of causing a €2.37 million financial loss to the state through a deal to procure 200 ambulances between 2014 and 2016.
They face charges of willfully causing financial loss to the state, abetment, contravention of the Public Procurement Act, and intentional misapplication of public property, to which they have pleaded not guilty.
SARA
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