In a landmark ruling, High Court Judge Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe has directed Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame to recuse himself from the trial of Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson and businessman Richard Jakpa.
The judge’s advice comes after allegations of professional and prosecutorial misconduct were made against Dame.
The accused persons had filed applications seeking various orders, including an inquiry into the Attorney-General’s conduct, a mistrial, and a stay of proceedings.
The court admitted a phone recording between Jakpa and Dame as evidence, despite the Attorney-General’s objections.
Jakpa had accused Dame of attempting to collude with him to build a case against Ato Forson, claiming the Attorney-General contacted him at odd hours.
The NDC later released a 16-minute audio recording of a phone call conversation between Dame and Jakpa, which appeared to support Jakpa’s claims.
The recording revealed Dame urging Jakpa to testify against Ato Forson, contradicting Jakpa’s earlier statement that Ato Forson had done nothing wrong.
Dame also asked Jakpa to fabricate a medical excuse to travel.
The court’s ruling is unprecedented, marking the first time a Ghanaian court has directed an Attorney-General to recuse themselves from a trial due to misconduct allegations.
The case continues to attract significant attention, with many calling for greater accountability in the justice system.
Ato Forson, a former Deputy Minister for Finance, and Jakpa are standing trial for allegedly causing financial loss to the state through a contract to purchase 200 ambulances for the Ministry of Health.
The case has been adjourned to allow for the necessary steps to be taken following the court’s ruling.
