The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dominic Ayine, has abandoned a quest by his predecessor, Godfred Yeboah Dame to appeal a court of appeal ruling that acquited and discharged Ato Forson and Richard Jakpa in respect of a charge for causing financial loss to the state.
In a Notice of Abandonment of Appeal sighted by 3news, Dr Ayine said the state has decided not to pursue the matter any further.
“PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Republic having previously served notice of appeal to appeal to the Court against the judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal on the 30th day of July 2024 hereby give(s) you NOTICE that the Republic does not intend further to prosecute the appeal, but that the Republic abandons all further proceedings with respect to this matter as from the date of this notice,” the Attorney-General wrote in the document dated January 23.
On July 30 2024, a Court of Appeal upheld an appeal on the Financial and Economic Court’s decision by then Minority Leader and former Deputy Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
The High Court in March 2023 ordered Dr Cassiel Ato Forson to open his defence after the Attorney-General’s office established a prima facie case against him in the 2.37 million Euro ambulance case.
Two others, Seth Anemana, a former Chief of Director, Ministry of Health, and Richard Jakpa, a businessman, who were standing trial with Dr Forson were also directed to open defence.
Dr. Forson and the two were variously charged with willfully causing financial loss to the state to the tune of 2.37 million Euros in the purchase of ambulances, which could not be used for their intended purpose.
The Court of Appeal in its decision on July 30 indicated that the High Court’s decision should be set aside since “the prosecution failed to establish sufficient evidence. The trial judge erred in calling on A1 (Dr Cassiel Ato Forson) to open his defence.
“No positively proven facts. Evidence based on Impermissible speculations. There is no link between the evidence heard and what happened for the third accused to be called to open defence,” the judge noted.
The panel of three justices also acquitted and discharged the accused persons in the case.
Read also:
Ambulance trial: Court of Appeal upholds Ato Forson’s submission of no case
Source:
3news.com
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