The Delay Of Government Affected Ambulance Specifications, Businessman Tells Court

A businessman, Richard Jakpa, charged together  Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, for allegedly causing a financial loss of €2.37 million to the state in an ambulance deal, has told the Accra High Court that the delayed production of the ambulances affected the specifications of the vehicles of the government.

Jakpa, who is the local representative of Big Sea, asserted that the delay was caused by the Ministry of Health’s (MoH) failure to carry out a pre-shipment inspection and the Ministry of Finance’s failure to raise the letter of credit on time.

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According to Jakpa, the government’s failure to respond to his company’s correspondences during the manufacturing process of the first 30 ambulances requesting for pre-delivery inspection by the technical team also contributed to the delay.

He also claimed that the contract only made a mandatory provision for pre-shipment inspection by the government, which was waived.

The prosecution claims that Big Sea supplied “unfit” ambulances to the state, but Jakpa insisted that his company supplied ambulances that were in line with the specifications agreed upon in the contract.

He also pointed out that the government discovered that the ambulances were defective after a post-delivery inspection, but he argued that this was not a term of the contract.

Jakpa further claimed that even after the government pointed out the defects, they still committed themselves to the contract for the purchase of the ambulances.

He also pointed out that Big Sea had shipped all the medical equipment to the MoH after admitting to the defects.

The prosecution has accused Jakpa and Dr. Forson of causing a financial loss of €2.37 million to the state in a deal to purchase 200 ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016.

They have pleaded not guilty to counts of wilfully causing financial loss to the state, abetment to wilfully causing financial loss to the state, contravention of the Public Procurement Act and intentionally misapplying public property.

Jakpa argued that his company did not commit any offense by insisting that its principal (Big Sea) pay its commission for its agency duties.

He also claimed that there was no prove to support the prosecution’s contention that he caused the shipment of the ambulances to Ghana by Big Sea.

In addition, Jakpa pointed out that despite discovering defects in the ambulances, Big Sea shipped all the medical equipment to Ghana as requested by government.

He also stated that even after discovering defects, Big Sea committed itself to rectifying those issues observed in the ambulances delivered.

The case is ongoing, with both parties presenting their cases before Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe.

The court will deliver a verdict after considering all evidence presented by both parties.

The trial has been ongoing since 2017, and it has been plagued by delays and adjournments.

The court has ordered both parties to expedite their cases and provide evidence within a specified timeframe.

The case has attracted significant attention due to its high-profile nature and allegations of corruption and financial loss.

Many are following closely to see how it will be resolved and whether justice will be served.

As this case continues, it is clear that there are many complexities and nuances involved in determining what happened and who is responsible.

The court will need to carefully consider all evidence presented before making a determination.

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