Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, the Chief of Defence Staff, said he did not give Richard Jakpa’s dismissal letter to the Minister of Defense, Dominic Nitiwul. Jakpa is the third accused in the ongoing ambulance trial.
Lieutenant General Oppong-Peprah explained that he never received a request for the letter, so he doesn’t know how the Minister got it.
During the trial on Thursday, June 27, Deputy Attorney-General Alfred Tuah-Yeboah showed a letter that supposedly dismissed Jakpa from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in 2007 while questioning Jakpa.
Deputy Attorney-General Alfred Tuah-Yeboah said the letter came from the Defense Minister’s office and accused Jakpa of misconduct and breaking military rules, which led to his dismissal.
Jakpa’s lawyers argued against using the letter as evidence, saying it wasn’t relevant. However, the judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, allowed it, noting that Jakpa had already confirmed the letter and could discuss it.
She added that the cover letters were official documents and could be used to assess credibility.
During today’s court session on Monday, July 29, the Chief of Defence Staff reiterated to Jakpa’s lawyer that he had not released the letter to the Defense Minister.
“My lady, as the Chief of Defense Staff, I have never received any request to release any document to anybody. So I can’t answer to that,” he said.
