Good news - John Mahama reacts to Ato Forson’s acquittal by Court of Appeal

John Dramani Mahama, Former president

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 Source: www.ghanaweb.com

The Court of Appeal on July 30, 2024, acquitted and discharged Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader in Parliament and former Deputy Minister of Finance, in the trial concerning the purchase of ambulances for the country.

After the court’s ruling Former President John Dramani Mahama took to Twitter to express his satisfaction with the ruling.

He described the acquittal as "good news" and a victory for the rule of law.

Mahama reiterated that the case was an instance of political persecution.

He emphasized the importance of an independent judiciary and pledged to appoint a fair-minded Minister for Justice to carry out necessary reforms.

“Good news from the Court of Appeal, acquitting and discharging former deputy finance minister Cassiel Ato Forson in the ambulance case. This is a victory for the rule of law and confirms my long-held view that the whole case was political persecution.

“This appeal was made some time ago when they filed a no-case petition before the court and the High Court rejected it so they went to appeal.

“So, it came as quite a pleasant surprise. But it shows that we still have justice in this country, we can work to make the judiciary what we want it to be. I pledge to appoint a fair-minded Minister for Justice who will work with the legal fraternity and the Judicial Council to carry out reforms to ensure we have a truly independent judiciary we can all be proud of,” he said in his Twitter post on July 30, 2024.

The acquittal was decided by a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, with a 2-1 majority ruling. The panel found that the trial court's order for Dr. Ato Forson to open his defence was in error, thereby overturning the previous decision.

Good news from the Court of Appeal, acquitting and discharging former deputy finance minister Cassiel Ato Forson in the ambulance case. This is a victory for the rule of law and confirms my long-held view that the whole case was political persecution.

This appeal was made some…
— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) July 30, 2024