How Jakpa ‘ambushed, recorded’ A-G Dame at residence of Supreme Court Justice – Report
Richard Japka, the third accused person in a major financial crimes trial, alleged in court last week that Attorney-General (A-G) Godfred Dame had contacted him to implicate the Minority Leader, the first accused in the case.
According to reports, even though the A-G was in court, he did not immediately contest the allegations levelled against him.
His office, however, published plea negotiation proposal letters with Jakpa and alleged among other things, that he has video evidence in which the Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, was seeking a deal to discontinue the case.
Pro-government Asaase Radio have published a report that confirms among other things that the A-G indeed met with Jakpa in the absence of the accused’s lawyer, which is contrary to law.
The piece was published late Sunday, May 26, 2024, under the headline: “Ambulance Case: Plot by Richard Jakpa to entrap Attorney General revealed.”
The first paragraph of the piece read: “Asaase News has uncovered what appears to be a deliberate plot to entrap the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, last April in the house of a Supreme Court judge (name withheld), who happens to be a very close relative of the accused person suspected to have secretly recorded the Attorney General.”
The report added that the A-G was in the house of the Supreme Court Justice to discuss other matters until Jakpa entered uninvited and was introduced by the Justice as his cousin.
“In the course of the conversation with the Justice of the Supreme Court, the accused person, Mr Jakpa, whom the Judge had introduced as a cousin, came into the room. The Judge enquired as to what was happening with the plea-bargaining proposal submitted by the accused and whether the same could be accepted,” the report added.
The conversation, according to the report, continued in respect of the plea-bargaining negotiations that Jakpa had filed during the trial and which had been rejected by the state on the grounds of procedure.
While confirming the meeting and the discussions that went on, the report said: “…the AG limited his interventions to facts and evidence of the case he had presented in open court.”
According to the report, the A-G rejected allusions by Jakpa that he (Dame) was stonewalling attempts for the case to be settled amicably via the plea-bargaining offer.
“The AG assured him in the presence of the Justice of the Supreme Court once again, that he had nothing against him, and that, in the particular case of the 3rd accused person, if he was truthful when testifying and did not attempt to be “clever” or evasive, it would facilitate an acceptance of a plea proposal by him,” it added.
“The Attorney-General stated that all he would require of the 3rd accused, to facilitate a plea negotiation was for him to cooperate by being truthful and faithful to the record of the transaction.
“The AG told Jakpa in the presence of the Justice of the Supreme Court that, for instance, he would show him the Cabinet approval for the transaction (which the prosecution had already tendered at the trial) and ask whether Big Sea Company was mentioned in the Cabinet approval,” the report concluded.
A-G vs Jakpa: ‘Dame’s cup is full’ – Sammy Gyamfi reiterates ‘smoking gun’ proof
Meanwhile, National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Sammy Gyamfi, has reiterated the NDC’s resolve to publish evidence that Attorney-General Godfred Dame was engaged in unethical, unprofessional conduct in the trial.
Sammy Gyamfi, in a May 26, 2024, post on social media alleged that the A-G and his assigns were doing all it takes to “preempt and create diversions to water-down the effect of the bombshell looming over Dame’s head.”
He added: “They are desperate and will attempt to deceive, deflect and put out half-truths and complete red-herrings just to obfuscate the issues,” but that the NDC will go ahead with providing evidence to prove Dame’s misdeeds.
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