Ambulance Trial: I exchanged words with Ato Forson for unjustifiably defending Seth Tekper – Jakpa

The third accused in the ambulance trial, Richard Jakpa, has told the Accra High Court that he exchanged words with first accused, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson when he tried to unjustifiably defend his former boss, Seth Tekper in the case.

Under cross examination by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Yvonne Attakorah Obuobisa on Thursday, June 20, Jakpa said Tekper tried to sabotage the ambulance trial, and therefore wondered why Ato Forson defended him. “In 2017, I went on Joy FM to discuss how Seth Terkper had sabotaged the ambulance trial. Ato Forson called in to defend his boss and I exchanged words with Ato Forson and told him to stick to his parliamentary work because Seth Terkper started sabotaging this project right from the time he ( Ato Forson ) was Deputy Minister of Finance. “I told him on radio to get his boss to come and respond to me.”

Seth Tekper is evil
Jakpa further told the court that Tekper was evil-minded and therefore he wanted to expose him. He added that the two former Ministers in the previous NDC administration contributed to the current state of affairs in the matter of the ambulances. “I told Attorney General that because of this, he should make me the prosecution witness to expose Seth Terkper and Sherry Ayittey,” he added.

However, he said, the Attorney General assured him that Ato Forson was the target, and that he would get him (Jakpa) acquitted at the submission of no case stage.

Private meeting
The DPP suggested to Jakpa that his motive for requesting a private meeting with the Attorney General via WhatsApp was to persuade him not to prosecute him. “That was the main reason, from what you have told this court, why you wanted to have a private discussion with him,” she said.

In response, Jakpa denied the suggestion, pointing out that his objective was merely to explain his innocence to the Attorney General.