There was drama at the Accra High Court Wednesday when Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ongoing ambulance procurement trial disclosed that he never saw a latter supposedly dismissing him from the Ghana Armed Forces.
He stated that he has never seen the supposed letter confirming his dismissal from the military since he left the service 17 years ago.
Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah-Yeboah on Thursday, June 27, tendered into evidence Richard Jakpa’s supposed dismissal letter from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
The judge eventually admitted the document into evidence despite the opposition by the lawyers of the third accused.
The prosecution argued that Jakpa’s dismissal letter is pertinent to establishing his character and the circumstances surrounding his involvement in the ambulance procurement process.
The letter detailed reasons for Jakpa’s termination, which included allegations of misconduct and breach of military protocols.
In presenting the evidence, the Deputy AG emphasised the relevance of Jakpa’s dismissal to the case, asserting that it highlights a pattern of behaviour that could be critical in understanding the broader context of the allegations.
The Deputy AG argued that Jakpa’s dismissal for misconduct casts doubt on his reliability and trustworthiness, which are key elements in assessing the validity of his testimony and actions related to the ambulance procurement.
Defence attorneys, however, raised objections to introducing the dismissal letter, arguing that it was prejudicial and unrelated to the core issues of the trial.
They contended that Mr Jakpa’s past employment records should not influence the court’s assessment of the current charges and that the focus should remain on the evidence directly related to the ambulance case.
The defence requested the court to disregard the letter as inadmissible evidence, citing bias concerns.
However, the judge admitted the letter into evidence after a brief break. She rejected the objections raised by the lawyers of Jakpa stating that her decision is based on section 60 on personal knowledge and 126 on official records.
Jakpa told the court that the attachment, titled ‘ Release from service for unsatisfactory conduct’ was alien to him.
In an exclusive interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse’ with Elton John Brobbey on Wednesday, July 3, Mr Jakpa reiterated that he had never seen the letter before.
“This letter – I left 17 years ago and I have never seen this letter in my life until it surfaced in court,” he said.
He further described the dismissal letter signed by the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul as ‘out of order’.
According to Mr Jakpa, no opportunity was afforded him to respond to the said dismissal letter.
He claimed the allegations raised in the letter about his character were strange.
He further described the dismissal letter signed by the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul as ‘out of order’.
According to Mr Jakpa, no opportunity was afforded him to respond to the said dismissal letter.
This, he explained is because “they knew that these allegations if it got to my notice, they would be in trouble because the military that I know you cannot be fraudulent and still survive.
“They will charge you, you’d be dismissed in disgrace and even go for a prison sentence.”
“If you realise, the letter was purportedly written by Brigadier General Ahiaglo – he is deceased and you know dead men don’t talk.
“But then, the only one who can speak best to this letter is the Chief of Army Staff, Retired Major General Odotei because if you look at the letter, it was signed for him and directed to the Chief of Staff in a confidential secret classification so I was not to know,” he stated.
