Dr. Ato Forson leaving the Court Complex in Accra yesterday
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, a former Deputy Minister of Finance under the John Dramani Mahama administration, and two other persons standing trial for allegedly willfully causing financial loss of €2.37 million to the state, were yesterday granted a total of GH¢9 million bail by an Accra High Court.
The accused persons including Sylvester Anemana, a former Chief Director of the Ministry of Health as well as private businessman, Richard Jakpa, have been charged for their involvement in the purchase of 200 defective ambulances which according to the prosecution, were not fit for purpose.
General Charges
The three have been charged with 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 to which they all pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution led by the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, prior to the grant of bail told the court that Dr. Forson is a public officer and his coming to court is assured, and on that basis suggested that he could be given a self-reconnaissance bail.
He, however, urged the court to grant Mr. Anemana and Mr. Jakpa bail with terms that will commiserate with the offence as preferred by the prosecution.
The court presided over by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, however, granted Dr. Ato Forson a bail of GH¢3 million self-reconnaissance bail, while Mr. Anemana was granted a bail of GH¢1 million with three sureties, one whom must be a public servant not below the rank of a Director.
Jakpa on the other hand, was granted a bail of GH¢5 million with three sureties, one of whom must be justified with documents of a landed property.
Court Order
The prosecution was ordered to file their disclosure by February 8, 2022, while the case has been adjourned to February 15 for case management.
The court also cautioned the defence lawyers not to think about skipping the trial on scheduled dates and said if they do she will report such lawyers to the General Legal Council.
She said any lawyer who would not be able to attend court should have another lawyer to represent him, saying, “Nobody should write love letters to me,” about not being able to come to court.
NDC Gurus
Scores of NDC gurus stormed the court to show solidarity with Dr. Ato Forson, who is the NDC MP for Ajumako Enyan Essaim in the Central Region and the Minority Ranking Member for Finance.
NDC National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, whose criminal case was in another High Court, yesterday was there to give ‘morale’ to the accused persons, so was gurus like former Attorney General, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, Special Aide to former president John Mahama, Joyce Bawa, and former Deputy Attorney General, Dominic Ayine.
Other colleagues like Ayawo Yussif Jajah, John Jinapor, MP for Yapei-Kuswagu, Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, former MP for Ketu South, Fifi Kwetey and others were also present.
Specific Charges
Dr. Ato Forson and Richard Jakpa are each facing one count of willfully causing financial loss to the Republic while Sylvester Anemana has been charged with one count of abetment of willfully causing financial loss to the Republic.
Dr. Forson is again facing another count of intentionally misapplying public property contrary to Section 1(2) of the Public Property Protection Act whilst Sylvester Anemana is also facing another count of contravention of the Public Procurement Act.
Brief Facts
Per the brief facts attached to the charges that have been filed in court, late President Prof. Evans Atta Mills, while delivering the State of the Nation’s Address in 2009, indicated that new ambulances would be purchased to expand the services of the National Ambulance Service to cover districts in the country.
According to court documents, following the State of the Nation Address, the Ministry of Health (MOH) initiated action to acquire more ambulances and Jakpa, using his business, Jakpa At Business Limited, approached the Ministry of Health with a proposal that he had arranged for finance from Stanbic Bank for the supply of 200 ambulances to the government.
It said on December 22, 2011, Cabinet endorsed an Executive Approval that had been granted for a joint memorandum submitted by the Minister for Health and the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning for the purchase of 200 ambulances out of a medium term loan facility of €15.8 million to be paid out of a credit arrangement between Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited and Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Finance.
MOU
“By a joint memorandum dated April 30, 2012, then Minister of Finance, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, and then Minister of Health, Alban S.K. Bagbin, applied for Parliamentary approval for the supply of 200 ambulances at a price of €15,800,000 to be paid out of a credit arrangement between Stanbic Bank and the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Finance. This memorandum to Parliament did not make reference to any role to be played by either Big Sea General Trading Limited (Big Sea), Dubai, or the agents for Big Sea, Jakpa At Business Limited in the transaction,” according to the prosecution.
The MoU did not also refer to the terms under which the ambulances would be procured or the terms under which the two companies would be involved in the transaction.
Parliamentary Approval
According to the prosecution, Parliament on November 1, 2012, granted approval for the financing agreement between the government and Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited for the procurement of the 200 ambulances.
It said on November 19, 2012, Mr. Anemana, who was the Chief Director at the Ministry of Health, wrote to the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) seeking approval to engage Big Sea to supply the 200 ambulances through single-sourcing.
It said the letter to the PPA falsely indicated that the reason for the single-sourcing was because Big Sea had arranged for funding for the project.
GoG/Big Sea Contract
According to the prosecution, by an agreement dated December 19, 2012, the Ministry of Health formally contracted Big Sea General Trading based in Dubai, for the supply of 200 Mercedes Benz ambulances. The contract sum was €15.8 million at a unit price of €79,000.
It said per the terms of the agreement, advance payment was prohibited and the payment for the purchase price was to be done by raising an irrevocable and transferable Letter of Credit from government’s bankers for the supplier of the ambulances.
Letters of Credit
The facts disclosed that on August 7, 2014, Ato Forson wrote to the Bank of Ghana urgently requesting to establish the Letters of Credit for the supply of 50 ambulances amounting to €950,000, representing 25 per cent of the contract sum while arrangement were being made to perfect and sign the loan agreement in favour of Big Sea.
On August 12, 2014, Ato Forson then wrote to the Controller and Accountant-General authorising the release of GH¢806,688.75 to the Minister for Health to enable him pay the bank charges covering the establishment of Letters of Credit (LCs) for the supply of 50 Mercedes Benz ambulances and related services.
“He further directed that the LCs should be charged to the budget of the Ministry of Health contrary to the Parliamentary approval on the funding for the supply of the ambulances. The Controller and Accountant-General, on the authority of the letter dated August 7 and 12, 2014, written by the first accused (Dr. Forson), wrote to the Bank of Ghana on August 14, 2014, authorising it to establish an irrevocable transferable Letters of Credit in the sum of €3,950,000 in favour of Big Sea,” the prosecution alleged.
Defective Ambulances
The prosecution said a consignment of 10 ambulances which was shipped from Dubai on October 22, 2014, arrived on December 16, 2014, and a post-delivery inspection of the first batch of 10 ambulances revealed that some were without any medical equipment in them while other fundamental defects included defects on the body of the vehicles and the patient compartment of the ambulances. Such defects were brought to the attention of Big Sea by a letter dated February 11, 2015.
It also indicated that Big Sea, in its reply, acknowledged the defects on the vehicles but indicated that it proceeded to ship the vehicles when it received the LCs, but promised to send its technicians to fix all issues relating to the defects and train Ghanaian staff before handing over the ambulances.