Lawyer for Businessman Richard Jakpa who has been charged together with the Minority Leader in Parliament, Casel Ato orson has indicated that his client will be calling eight witnesses in his defence before the High Court in Accra.
Mr Jakpa and Dr Ato Forson are standing trial for allegedly causing financial loss to the State to the tune of 2.37 million euros over the purchase of some ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016. The Judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe has directed the accused to file the witness statement of the witnesses by April 30 and adjourned to May 2 for continuation of the case.
The Lawyer, Thadeus Sory who now represents Mr Jakpa after firing his previous lawyer.
The Court further directed that witnesses whose statements would not be filed should ensure that documents they intend to rely on and other documents to be tendered in by the accused are filed by April 16.
Mr. Jakpa, who opened his defense last March 19, told the Court that he should not be standing trial because he was sidelined in the execution of the contract.
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Meanwhile, the Ghana Bar Association has acknowledged the significant challenge of combatting corruption within the judiciary, particularly in the face of persistent attempts by influential individuals to bribe judges.
This statement follows the recent pledge by Chief Justice Her Ladyship Gertrude Torkornoo to root out corruption within the judicial system.
Despite her commitment, the Ghana Bar Association underscores the arduous task ahead and emphasizes the necessity for collective action to curb corrupt practices.
In an interview with Citi News, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Saviour Kudze, raised concerns about existing laws on corruption, noting their limitations in effectively combating the issue. He suggested revisiting these laws to address the challenges posed by bribery attempts.
Furthermore, Mr Kudze emphasized the role of court users, citizens, and influential figures in perpetuating corruption within the judiciary. He called for a collective commitment to principles and ethical conduct to mitigate corrupt practices.
“The laws of corruption itself are not helping us. If you have a law that says that the giver of the bribe and the taker are equally guilty, how do you expect to fight corruption with this kind of law? So, I think that we have to get back because nobody is so senseless that he will go and give bribe for a process to be facilitated for him for which he is the beneficiary and then go to a police station to go and report that ‘I have given bribe to Mr A so arrest me and go and arrest Mr A and prosecute both of us to go to jail.’
“No sound-minded person will do that. So, I think that we should look at our law. Looking at our special circumstances, we can say that only the taker will be guilty so that even if a giver is bringing to a taker, the said taker will be very careful as to who has sent the taker, especially to our political issues around.
“Again, the judiciary among themselves do not corrupt themselves. They don’t pay bribes to themselves. It is us, court users and citizens, and so-called influential people who try to do all this. So, if we are all principled enough and we value our principles and stop all these things, it will go a long way. Other than that it will be very difficult, not impossible, to fight corruption unless we all support her,” he stated.
Regarding concerns about political influence in judicial appointments, Kudze refuted claims that President Akufo-Addo is appointing predominantly New Patriotic Party supporters to judicial positions.
He asserted that appointments should be based on qualifications, emphasizing the importance of maintaining integrity and impartiality within the judiciary.
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