NDC has set in motion a malicious scheme – NPP

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has strongly responded to press conference of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) calling on the Attorney General to resign or be sacked.

According to them, what they exhibited at its press conference was fuelled by lies, falsehoods, misrepresentations, blackmail.

In a Press Conference rebuting the expose’ by the NDC in the Ambulance saga, The Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s Legal Committee
lawyer Frank Davies who addressed the media said, is not in dispute that, “the justice delivery system is arguably the last bastion of our burgeoning constitutional democracy, and if it is constantly being bastardized by people who ought to in the very least, be responsible and know better, it leaves much to be desired.”

Against this backdrop he added that “We owe it to ourselves and posterity to rescue our dear Country from this ‘dark canker’ by those who’ve made it their
‘stock in trade’ to spew vitriol and unapologetically take shots at
a system they have little or no faith in at all.”

“We have called you here because the NDC have since last week
set in motion a malicious scheme fueled by lies, falsehoods,
misrepresentations, blackmail and needless pollution of the
mass media, with the sole intention of obstructing the course of justice and scandalising the criminal proceedings in the High Court, to shield Ato Forso (MP), Minority Leader in
Parliament and former Deputy Minister of Finance, and his associates from taking responsibility for authorizing some payments which resulted in a whooping sum of 2.37 million
Euros being lost by the state,” he said

Addressing the facts of the matter, he said, on December 22, 2011, Cabinet endorsed an executive approval of a joint memorandum submitted to Cabinet by the then Minister for Health, Shirley Ayittey and 1st accused Cassiel Ato Forson, then Deputy Minister for Finance, for the purchase of 200 ambulances out of a medium term credit facility of €15,800,000.00 between Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited and the Government of Ghana
through the Ministry of Finance
On November 1, 2012.

He said the Parliament of Ghana granted approval for the financing agreement between Stanbic Bank
Ghana Limited and the Government of Ghana for the purchase of
the 200 ambulances.

Adding that by an agreement dated December, 19 2012, the Government of Ghana contracted a company in Dubai,
described as Big Sea General Trading LLC (Big Sea) whose local
agent is 3rd Accused, Richard Jakpa and which company was to
supply the 200 ambulances to the Government, even though that
company was unknown to the Cabinet and Parliamentary approvals regarding the transaction.

He said by the terms of the agreement, advance payment for the contract
was prohibited.

“Payment for the vehicles was stated in the agreement to be through letters of credit established for
twenty-five percent of the Contract Price upon the delivery of
every fifty (50) Ambulance Vehicles.”

Mr.Davies noted that on August 7, 2014, in disregard of the financing arrangement for the transaction approved by both Cabinet and the Parliament of Ghana, 1st accused, Cassiel Ato Forson authorised the Bank of Ghana to “urgently establish the letters of credit for the supply of
50 ambulances amounting to EUR3,950,000.00, representing 25
percent of the contract sum”.

“At this time, not a single ambulance
had been delivered. On August 12, 2014, 1st accused also directed the Controller
and Accountant-General to pay the sums of GHC806,688.75
representing bank charges covering the establishment of letters of
credit for the supply of 50 ambulances, and further directed for the
amount to be charged against the Capital Expenditure Vote for
the Ministry of Health,” he said.

He further added “Ladies and Gentlemen, all these directives by 1st accused,Cassiel Ato Forson were contrary to the agreement for the
supply of the ambulances as well as the Parliamentary approval regarding the financing of the transaction. It is also
important to note, that Ato Forson’s authorisation of payment for
the transaction was without any request from the Ministry of Health. In fact, the Ministry of Health had asked Big Sea to stop producing the ambulances as there was no valid contract
regarding the transaction.”

He indicated that in spite of that, Ato Forson without cause, proceeded to authorise payment for the ambulances.

” Pursuant to the unlawful directives of 1st accused, Ato Forson, Big
Sea shipped 30 vehicles in three consignments between
October, 2014 and February, 2015, which were fundamentally
defective and lacking in the basic requirements for an ambulance. This was confirmed by a letter written by the then Minister for Health, Dr. Alex Segbefia and other assessments by
the National Ambulance Service,” he said.

Mr. Davies further added that “in point of fact, Alex Segbefia, in a letter to Big Sea, described the ambulances as “ordinary vans” – to wit, trotro. These vehicles were never used and could not be used as ambulances during the Mahama Administration.”

Following the change of Government in 2017, he said investigations commenced and statements were taken from several people including the incumbent Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah, Madam Sherry Ayittey (Deceased) and Dr. Alex
Segbefia, all of whom were former Health Ministers as well as 1st
Accused, Cassiel Ato Forson and other persons such as the 3rd Accused.

“Out of these many people, the Attorney-General, convinced that
the willful act of Cassiel Ato Forson had resulted in a financial loss of 2.37 million euros to the state, charged him before the high court together with Sylvester Anemana, former chief Director of the Ministry of Health and Richard Jakpa a businessman, for causing financial loss, abetment t causing financial loss and
misapplying public property,” he revealed.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme