Godfred Dame storms CID office accompanied by 70 lawyers

Former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame is at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, accompanied by 70 lawyers, to answer questions in connection with a petition alleging misconduct and attempted fabrication of evidence.

The 70 notable lawyers in private practice told journalists that they were there to support Mr. Godfred Dame, whom they consider a noble colleague, as he was scheduled to attend an invitation to the CID headquarters this morning.

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service invited Mr. Dame following a petition by Richard Jakpa, a Director of Special Operations at the National Security Secretariat, requesting that the police investigate the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame.

Jakpa’s petition is premised on his claim of “fabrication of evidence” in the high-profile ambulance procurement trial involving himself and the current Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.

Richard Jakpa claimed that Mr. Dame, while serving as Attorney-General, urged him to testify dishonestly to implicate Dr. Forson and even suggested procuring a false medical excuse to delay court proceedings.

Jakpa’s Suspicious Petition

In the petition, dated September 23, 2025, and addressed to the Director of CID, Jakpa accused Mr. Dame of deliberately attempting to manipulate his testimony to implicate the current Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, who was a co-accused in the case.

The document, headed “PETITION OF RICHARD A. JAKPA AGAINST GODFRED YEBOAH DAME REGARDING FABRICATION OF EVIDENCE TO IMPLICATE HON. DR. ATO FORSON AND TO LIE TO THE COURT,” Jakpa introduced himself and outlined his background in the case.

“My name is Richard Anthounma Jakpa. I was the Executive Chairman of Jakpa at Business Limited. I was arraigned before the High Court (Financial Division) on January 18, 2022, together with two others, on the charge of having acted in contravention of Section 179(2) of the Criminal and Other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

I was the third accused person in the proceedings before the High Court entitled The Republic v. Cassiel Ato Forson & 2 Ors, Suit Number CR/0198/2022.”

In the petition, Jakpa notes that at the close of the prosecution’s case, “the High Court upheld the then Attorney-General’s (Godfred Dame) contention that a case had been made against me to answer.”

Allegations Against Godfred Dame

Jakpa alleged that following this development, Mr. Dame solicited his cooperation to incriminate the first accused, Dr. Forson. “Godfred Dame solicited my co-operation to testify in a manner to incriminate the first accused and to help fast-track the conclusion of the case,” Jakpa’s petition read.

He further claimed that after he opened his defence, he received a direct phone call from Mr. Dame on March 26, 2024. “The testimony to incriminate Hon. Dr. Ato Forson after I opened my defence led to a phone call to me on the 26th day of March 2024 by the learned Attorney-General when I was to appear in the High Court to continue my evidence in chief in terms of the witness statement I had filed,” the petition noted.

According to Jakpa, in that conversation, Mr. Dame suggested that he should not testify based on his own knowledge but instead follow the Attorney-General’s preferred line of answers.

“In the phone conversation between the then Attorney General and me which I have attached to this petition, he suggested that during cross-examination I testify not based on matters personally perceived and understood by me, but based on his suggestions and to skew my understanding of the issues in such a way to implicate the First Accused person and to further lie to the court that I was not well by procuring a false excuse duty to that effect,” the petition further claimed.

Jakpa went further to say that Dame specifically advised him on how to respond to questions about the Letters of Credit (LCs) at the center of the case.

“In that telephone conversation, Godfred Dame directly engaged me on the subject of the Letters of Credit (LCs) as an Attorney-General of the Republic of Ghana and stated how he thought I should answer questions regarding the Letters of Credit during cross-examination contrary to my honest understanding and knowledge of how Letters of Credit work,” the petition added.

Jakpa said he resisted the suggestions. “I disagreed with him, but he insisted that it would not bear any risk to me. He further said he would be travelling out of the country and not able to be in court at the next adjourned date, and that I seek an adjournment from the court by getting an excuse duty from a hospital to the court, stating that I was sick to allow him to be present in court before I proceed with my testimony. Still, I declined this criminal, dishonest, and unethical suggestion from him as an Attorney-General, then,” the petition claimed.

Background of the Ambulance Case

The ambulance procurement trial has been one of the most politically sensitive cases in recent years. Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, now Finance Minister, and Richard Jakpa were among those accused of causing financial loss to the state in connection with the supply of ambulances under a contract signed in 2012. The case was prosecuted under the tenure of Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame as Attorney-General.

Cassiel Ato Forson and Richard Jakpa, who was a representative for Big Sea, were accused of causing a financial loss of €2.37 million to the state in a deal to purchase 200 ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016.

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

According to the Attorney-General’s facts accompanying the charge sheet, in 2009, while delivering the State of the Nation Address, the then-President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, indicated that new ambulances would be purchased to expand the operations of the National Ambulance Service.

Richard Jakpa, a local representative of Big Sea General Trading Limited, a company based in Dubai, subsequently approached the Ministry of Health with a proposal that he had arranged for financing from Stanbic Bank for the supply of 200 ambulances to the government.

Parliament approved the financing agreement between the government and Stanbic Bank. According to the facts, on November 19, 2012, a former Director of the Ministry of Health wrote to the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) seeking approval to engage Big Sea through single sourcing for the supply of the 200 ambulances.

They added that on August 7, 2014, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, as Deputy Minister of Finance, then wrote to the Bank of Ghana requesting letters of credit covering €3.95 million for the supply of 50 ambulances in favour of Big Sea.

The letters of credit were accordingly released to Big Sea. The facts stated that 30 ambulances were purchased for a total of €2.37 million, but all were found not to meet ambulance specifications and were therefore deemed “not fit for purpose.”

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

Discontinuity of the Case

Even more interestingly, the current Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has discontinued the controversial ambulance case against former Majority Leader and now Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, and businessman Richard Jakpa, the third accused, who is now the Director of Special Operations at the National Security Secretariat.

This was contained in a notice issued by the Attorney-General’s chambers on Thursday, January 23, 2025. This also came after the Court of Appeal acquitted and discharged Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson and Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ambulance case.

The court, in a 2:1 decision, overturned the previous order from the trial court, which had required Dr. Ato Forson and Jakpa to open their defense.

The A-G’s notice acknowledged that it had previously been served notice of appeal against the judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal on July 30, 2024.

It, however, stated that the Republic does not intend to pursue the appeal further. “…But that the republic abandons all further proceedings with respect to this matter as from the date of this notice,” the A-G notice further added.