Ambulance Case: Charge against me improper, no financial loss was made – Richard Jakpa to Court

Businessman Richard Jakpa, one of the two remaining persons standing trial for allegedly causing financial loss to the State in the purchase of some ambulances, has denied such claims.

He described the assertions by the Prosecution as “not proper,” adding that his prosecution was in “bad faith.”

Mr. Jakpa, together with Dr. Ato Forson, former Deputy Finance Minister and now the Minority Leader in Parliament, are standing trial for willfully causing a financial loss of €2.37 million to the state through a contract to purchase 200 ambulances for the Ministry of Health.

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

Dr. Forson was granted a GH₵3 million self-recognizance bail, while businessman Richard Jakpa was granted a GH₵5 million bail with three sureties, one of whom must be justified with documents of landed property.

Dr. Sylvester Anemana, a former Chief Director at the Ministry of Health, who was the second accused, had health concerns and has since been discharged following the Attorney General’s Nolle Prosequi.

In Court on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, while concluding the reading of his 134-paragraph Witness Statement (evidence-in-chief), Mr. Jakpa said, “It is clearly not proper to contend that the government has suffered financial loss when the government still has the benefit of the ambulances which are in the government’s possession.”

Mr. Jakpa, who is standing trial together with former Deputy Finance Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, said he had “no business transaction with the State or even Big Sea.”

Assigning reasons for his position as to the charge against him not being proper, he said, “Neither the government nor Big Sea contracted me to play any role whatsoever in the transaction from which the present proceedings result.”

It was also the case of Mr. Jakpa, the third accused person, that he is “not an officer of Big Sea or the government.”

The third accused also told the Court that, “It is JBL which has relationships with Big Sea and not the government.”

“I am just a director and shareholder of JBL unless there is a special reason for making me personally the accused person in this case, and the prosecution has established none; my prosecution is not proceeded with in good faith,” he submitted.

Mr. Jakpa also told the Court in the concluding part of his Evidence-in-Chief through his Witness Statement that, “even with JBL, it [JBL] is merely a commissioned agent of the said Big Sea company which acted as an agent for Big Sea for a fee.”

The third accused also posited that, “neither I nor JBL had any responsibility/obligation under the contract between the Government of Ghana (GoG) and Big Sea in the delivery of the ambulances.”

“All payments made were made directly to Big Sea through an Irrevocable Transferable Letter of Credit (LC).

“Payments made to JBL were made pursuant to court orders which are still valid and not set aside,” the accused told the Court.

He added that the ambulances have been duly supplied and “an agreement reached to rectify all defects, if any.”

“The accessories to rectify all defects have, since the year 2016, been shipped to the government,” he told the Court.

He also said, “The government has accepted the ambulances because the government has not rejected them.”

EIB Network’s Legal Affairs Correspondent, Murtala Inusah, is reporting that Mr. Jakpa is facing cross-examination from lawyers of Dr. Ato Forson before the High Court presided over by Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, a Justice of the Court of Appeal.