Godfred Yeboah Dame
Attorney-General Godfred Dame has affirmed his commitment to prosecuting the case involving Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, despite receiving advice from the trial judge to recuse himself for the sake of justice and public interest.
After the judge’s recommendation to step back from the ongoing trial, Dame emphasized that the judge’s counsel was merely advisory and expressed his determination to continue conducting the proceedings.
“The judge herself even after the ruling clarified that it is only advice. I am still conducting the trial.
“The most important point today is that all the applications filed by the applicants have been dismissed in their entirety, all of them have failed and I think that in reaction to this, I will say that, it clearly shows that there is a group of people in this country who will ride on manipulation of facts, distortions and deception of the public, they are always seeking to mislead and deceive the public, today they have been exposed.”
He contended that all applications filed against him had been dismissed, labeling the opposition as a deliberate attempt to manipulate facts and deceive the public.
The case gained traction when allegations arose following a recorded phone conversation between Richard Jakpa and Attorney-General Godfred Dame.
The accusatory content of this conversation prompted lawyers representing Dr. Ato Forson to file an affidavit seeking a mistrial, injunction, or stay of proceedings in the ambulance case.
They cited purported professional misconduct by the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice as grounds for requesting a mistrial in the interest of upholding justice and legal ethics.
In response, Godfred Dame opposed the motion for mistrial, arguing that such a request was not recognized under Ghana’s criminal laws and undermined the principle that all individuals are subject to prosecution without exception.
He maintained that his constitutional mandate obligated him to pursue justice for actions resulting in substantial financial losses to the state, refuting claims of impropriety in the prosecution process.
“That no proper grounds have been canvassed by the applicant to warrant a grant of this application, which is unknown to the laws governing criminal law and practice in Ghana.
“That the instant application is a smokescreen and a veiled attempt by the applicant to abort his legitimate prosecution for actions committed as a public officer which led to the State losing colossal amounts of funds.
Same is incompetent as no one has immunity from prosecution under the laws of Ghana.
“That I respectfully say that the Attorney-General is vested with the constitutional responsibility to prosecute all crimes within the Republic and cannot be prohibited from discharging this constitutional duty in respect of any person in Ghana as all persons are equal before the law,” he said
The altercation between the Attorney-General and Dr. Ato Forson underscores the high stakes and contentious nature of the ambulance case, which has captured widespread attention and scrutiny.
By Vincent Kubi