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The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has expressed worry about what he perceives as the targeting of Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, in an ongoing legal case. Dr. Forson, along with two others, is facing charges related to causing financial loss to the state in the procurement of 50 defective ambulances.
The allegations against the Minority Leader center on his purported request for letters of credit, amounting to €2.3 million, which facilitated the payment for the ambulances without proper authorization – an accusation that Dr. Forson vehemently denies.
During a visit to the family of the late former Majority Leader in Parliament, Felix Owusu-Adjapong, Speaker Bagbin asserted that the prosecution of the Minority Leader appears to be politically motivated. He noted, “The Minority Leader is being persecuted. On several occasions, he couldn’t join us in Parliament due to his court appearances. As I speak to you, he is on trial.”
Bagbin emphasized his concerns by stating, “It’s not that we oppose the rule of law; we all support its application. However, when prosecution appears to be merely a gamble – a ‘win or lose’ scenario, I cannot recommend that for any politician. As a leader, you must always be prepared to take risks, whether they lead to success or failure.”
On a separate note, Seth Terkper, a witness in support of Dr. Ato Forson, testified on Thursday, challenging the state’s claims. He asserted that, contrary to the prosecution’s allegations, Dr. Forson had acted with his explicit approval.
In his witness statement, Seth Terkper clarified, “For the sake of clarity, I reiterate that, as the former Minister of Finance, I authorized A1 (Dr. Ato Forson) to request the Bank of Ghana to establish the Letters of Credit with the sole purpose of averting potential financial liabilities for the Government.”
During cross-examination, Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame sought evidence from the witness that proved he had indeed authorized Dr. Ato Forson. In response, Mr. Seth Terkper clarified that the authorization had followed advice from the Attorney General’s department, which had forwarded a letter from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Finance, urging compliance with the contract’s terms. He added that these letters from the Attorney General were subsequently sent to the Ministry of Finance’s legal department.
