A former Director of the Ghana School of Law and private legal practitioner, Kwaku Ansah-Asare, has called for the impeachment of the Supreme Court justice who reportedly hosted the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame and the third accused person in the ambulance purchase trial in his home in a supposed plea bargain negotiation.
The National Youth Organiser of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye, has already named Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi as the justice in question.
Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ambulance purchase trial, claimed that the Attorney-General had previously approached him to help build a case against the Minority Leader and former Deputy Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
During cross-examination by counsel for the Minority Leader, Jakpa was cautioned by the trial judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, to be direct in his responses and avoid wasting the court’s time.
In response to the judge’s caution, Attorney-General Yeboah Dame accused Jakpa of defending the Minority Leader.
This accusation prompted Jakpa to retort that the Attorney-General seemed aggrieved because he had previously failed to get him to help the state build a case against Dr Ato Forson.
“The A-G has on several occasions engaged me at odd hours to help him make a case against A1 and I have evidence for that. If he pushes me, I will open the Pandora’s box.
“I don’t understand why the A-G will accuse me of defending A1 when I’m here to defend myself,” Jakpa said in court.
Subsequently, the Spokesperson for the Attorney-General’s Department, Isaac Wilberforce Mensah, stated that the Attorney-General met only with Richard Jakpa at the pre-negotiation stage because Jakpa did not have a legal representative.
Additionally, he said the meeting was held in the home of a Supreme Court justice, and that Mr. Dame did no wrong.
Speaking on JoyNews on Tuesday, May 28, Mr Asare said that based on the Attorney-General’s spokesperson’s comments about Mr Dame holding a pre-negotiation meeting in the home of a Supreme Court justice, the said justice must be removed.
“If it is true that the meeting took place at the house of the sitting Supreme Court judge, he must be impeached. The Chief Justice must set the ball rolling,” he said.
Mr Ansah cautioned that although he was pushing for the justice’s impeachment, an investigation must be carried out to ascertain if the said justice was indeed one of the Supreme Court justices.
Also, Mr Asare asserts that A-G must tender in his resignation for engaging in pre-negotiation with an accused.
Meanwhile, both the A-G and the accused have threatened to release further evidence to fortify their cases.
Other lawyers have also called on the right state institutions to investigate the matter since it has serious implications for justice delivery in the country.
