Is government prosecuting Ato Forson just to tarnish his image? – Bawa Mogtari asks

Aide to former President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama, Joyce Bawa Mogtari has questioned the rationale behind the prosecution of former Deputy Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson.

She questioned that from the proceedings in court, it is clear that the Health Minister and the Attorney General may both have had some prior knowledge of the facts of the case, and were for that matter aware that there could possibly be no case against Ato, but for mere political expediency, taken a decision to prosecute him as a way of tarnishing his hard-won reputation or merely to silence him.

Joyce Bawa Mogtari made this position known in a post shared on social media addressing the move by the government to prosecute the former Minister.

Read Her Post Below

Good morning everyone!

The case involving former Deputy Finance Minister Ato Forson and two others, charged for causing financial loss to the state, was on Thursday adjourned to next year, the 23rd of January 2023.

Before the adjournment of the now discredited proceedings, Minister for Health Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, who is the principal witness for the state, admitted during cross-examination, that he did not see any documents showing that Ato Forson had authorized any payments under a Letter of Credit.

Mr Agyeman-Manu admitted that the ambulances together with the requisite accessories which were duly consigned to the government of Ghana and had indeed arrived at the Tema port and stayed there for almost six years.

The Minister for Health also admitted that the Government of Ghana did not establish the LC following the contract (time frame set in the contract), which was to be completed within 120 days after signing the document but this was never done.

Is it the case that the Health Minister and the Attorney General may both have had some prior knowledge of the facts of the case, and were for that matter aware that there could possibly be no case against Ato, but for mere political expediency, taken a decision to prosecute him as a way of tarnishing his hard-won reputation or merely to silence him?

Background

A former Deputy Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, and two others have been charged for allegedly causing financial loss to the state.

Cassiel Ato Forson, a former Chief Director of the Ministry of Health; Sylvester Anemana, and a businessman; Richard Jakpa are alleged to have cost the state to lose €2.37 million in a deal to purchase 200 ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016.

Richard Jakpa is said to have used his company Jakpa at Business, to present a proposal and term loan to the Ministry of Health to finance the supply of 200 ambulances to the Government.

Cabinet subsequently endorsed an Executive approval for the project, according to the AG.

The three have been dragged to the Accra High Court by the Attorney-General on five counts of wilfully causing financial loss to the state, abetment to wilfully cause financial loss to the state, contravention of the Public Procurement Act, and intentionally misapplying public property.

The country incurred a $2.4 million loss after 30 ambulances were procured in 2014 by the Ministry of Health, but were later found to be faulty.

With 200 ambulances originally supposed to be purchased, the government suspended the deal after the ones which had been delivered did not meet the required specifications.