The first person who is being accused in the ongoing ambulance procurement trail, his Excellency Dr. Ato Forson, has swiftly applied for a mistrial.

What is a Mistrial in the Judiciary or Court System?

A mistrial occurs when a jury is unable to reach a verdict and there must be a new trial with a new jury; or there is a serious procedural error or misconduct that would result in an unfair trial, and the judge adjourns the case without a decision on the merits and awards a new trial.

Dr. Ato Forson pointed out new developments involving a leaked phone call conversation which happened between the third accused person in the ambulance procurement trail, Richard Jakpa and the Attorney-General, Godfred Dame.

In a filed affidavit presented on Friday, May 31 2024, Ato Forson highlighted his concerns regarding the leaked phone call conversation tape. According to him, the act shows a professional misconduct on the part of the attorney General.

These recordings have been submitted and annexed to the filed application.

Dr. Ato Forson is requesting that the court declares a mistrial in the interest of Justice.

He explains the necessities of administering justice and ensuring that it is perceived to be impartial in everyone’s eye .

The Minority Leader argues 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.

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Ato Forson, the Minority Leader in Parliament, is arguing that failure by the court to order a mistrial in a case of this sort, where there appears to be a blatant disrespect 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.

Background

Richard Jakpa, under cross-examination, revealed that the Attorney General had been contacting him at unusual hours to solicit testimony against the Minority Leader, Dr Ato Forson.

This surprising revelation, which was a 16-minute phone conversation between Mr Jakpa and the Attorney General, has sparked conversations between Ghanaians, with some persons calling for the resignation and arrest of Attorney General, Godfred Dame.

Dr Ato Forson, a former Deputy Finance Minister and current Minority Leader, is currently on trial for his alleged involvement in the procurement of defective ambulances for Ghana. He is accused of causing financial loss to the state to the tune of 2.3 million Euros.

At a recent press conference, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) played a 16-minute tape allegedly featuring a conversation between the Attorney General and Jakpa.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has refuted the claims made in the audio, asserting that it has been “doctored and manipulated” with malicious intent.

However, the Attorney General has personally not commented on the tape, although his office has sought to downplay it, saying he will remain at post.

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