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Ambulance case: Court of Appeal acquits and discharges Ato Forson

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The Court of Appeal has acquitted and discharged Minority Leader, Hon. Cassiel Ato Forson in the ongoing Ambulance case.

The Court of Appeal has set aside the order for Dr. Ato Forson to open his defence by the trial Court in the ongoing ambulance case.

The Director of Legal Affairs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Edudzi Tamekloe In an interview on the Breakfast Show following the Court of Appeal’s decision, explained that the appeal was filed after the trial court dismissed their submission of no case, ruling that a case had been made against the accused persons.

“What happened is that after the prosecution called their witnesses, lawyers for the accused persons did what we call ‘a submission of no case’. The Court dismissed the submission of no case and ruled that case has been made against the accused person, warranting them to open their defence,” he said.

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According to him, “We appealed that decision for us to open our defence. It is that appeal that today, the court of appeal by a 2-1 majority upheld, thereby acquitting and discharging Dr Cassiel Ato Forson and Richard Jakpa.”

“By this, the court further ruled that the order by the trial court judge for the accused persons to open their defence is hereby set aside,” he added.

The High Court, Accra, on June 6 dismissed the application by Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson for mistrial and to undertake an enquiry into the conduct of the Attorney General in the ongoing Ambulance case.

According to the trial judge, the minority leader had not shown any statute provisions that warrant a mistrial in this case nor to enquire into the affairs of the Attorney General.

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Dr Ato Forson on Monday, June 3 filed a supplementary affidavit in support of the motion on notice for an order of mistrial, injunction and/or stay of proceedings in the ongoing ambulance case against him and two others.

Lawyers for the Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam legislator cited a leaked tape between the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, and the third accused, Richard Jakpa, in which the former allegedly attempted to coach the third accused to implicate Dr Ato Forson in the ongoing trial, for the application.

Ato Forson’s legal team in the affidavit, argues that the Attorney-General misconducted himself and called for the prosecution to be declared a mistrial.

“It has become necessary to file this affidavit in order to bring to the attention of the Court and in the interest of justice, certain pertinent, material and relevant matters that have a bearing on the fair and just determination of the current application,” they added.

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“That I say that I have since filing the instant application had the opportunity of listening to a recording widely circulating in the media depicting the voices of the Attorney-General and A3 fervently discussing the evidence the Attorney-General will prefer the said A3 to adduce at the trial. At the hearing of the instant application, my counsel will seek leave of the court to have the said audio recording played in open court,”  they stated.

The Minority Leader further argued that failure to order a mistrial in such circumstances, where there appears to be a blatant disregard for the rule of law and ethical standards of prosecution by none other than the Attorney-General, could severely undermine public confidence in the judicial process.

The Minority Leader subsequently filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal which has been has been upheld by the Court in a 2:1 majority decision.

Businessman Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the Ambulance trial has also been freed by the court.

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Source: Citinewsroom.com 

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Mahama commissions four ambassadors, tasks them to drive jobs and investment

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President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned four career diplomats as ambassador-designates to represent Ghana in four countries.

The commissioning ceremony took place on Friday, October 16, 2026.

The new envoys are Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo, Ambassador-Designate to Angola; His Excellency Louis Kwame Obeng, Ambassador-Designate to Qatar; Her Excellency Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable, Ambassador-Designate to Israel; and His Excellency Jedidiah Reuben Adogla, Permanent Representative-Designate to Switzerland.

President Mahama charged them to advance Ghana’s national interests through strategic partnerships, economic diplomacy, investment mobilization, and expanded access to international markets.

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He said Ghana’s diplomatic engagements must deliver tangible economic benefits, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s standing on the international stage.

The four envoys are career diplomats with over 27 years of experience.

On behalf of her colleagues, Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to emulate his leadership and deliver on the mandate given to them.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme

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Prof. Ọbádélé Kambon enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong 

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The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 

Prof. Kambon getting prepared for enstoolment process

This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.

Prof. Kambon getting ready with the elders to go through enstoolment process

Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.

Professor Obadele Kambon middle before enstoolment

For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.

The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.

Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.

Wife of Prof. and a section his family at the enstoolment

With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong. 

The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.

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There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.

Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.

A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.

The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.

Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.

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Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation. 

Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.

These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.

Professor Obadele Kambon carried shoulder high after enstoolment

Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge. 

His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions. 

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Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.

But tradition was only one part of the story that day.

When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.

The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 

It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.

For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate. 

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For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.

Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.

His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.

In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.

By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw

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