Plea bargain can be sought in most criminal cases, including murder – Sophia Akuffo

Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has clarified the concept of plea bargaining amid the controversy in the trial of a former Deputy Finance Minister accused of financial mismanagement.

According to her, plea bargaining allows defendants to plead guilty to lesser charges or one of several charges in exchange for concessions from prosecutors.

This issue arose when Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ambulance procurement case, accused Attorney General Godfred Dame of coercing him to implicate Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson. The NDC released a leaked conversation to support this claim.

Akuffo emphasised that plea bargaining is common and permissible unless legally restricted.