Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney-General and Minister Justice, through Yvonne Attakorah Oboubisa, Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), has taken his turn to cross-examine Richard Jakpa, by first digging deep into the latter’s military career.
The first question dropped by the prosecution had Mr. Jakpa, 3rd Accused (A3) in the ambulance trial, providing pages of answers to the discomfort of the lawyers of the state.
According to the DPP, Mr. Jakpa was dismissed from the military in 2008 because of insubordination and also that he failed his promotional exams on countless times. Furthermore, A3 was kicked out of the Army as a result of his unsatisfactory conduct.
She also told Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, a Court of Appeal judge, sitting with an additional responsibility of the Accra High Court yesterday, that at the time the Attorney-General filed the charges in December 2021, he did not know A3.
According to her, Mr. Dame did not know he was a family relation of the Supreme Court Justice, Emmanuel Yonny Kolendi, or had ever had any interaction with A3.
The DPP said A3 was the one who first introduced himself to the A-G on Whatsapp, yet he failed to present same, as part of his evidence before the court.
A3, according to the prosecution, sent to the A-G, a total of 68 WhatsApp messages, but Mr. Dame answered only two.
However, A3 said the assertion that he was dismissed from active service was false, but he was rather released off his service. He said dismissal and release off service means different things, as the former connote misconduct, which was not the case.
Furthermore, he said he did not fail his promotional exams and that he was victimised for the sins of his late father, who, during the revolution, released former president Jerry John Rawlings from prison for the June 4th uprising.
A3 indicated that his father was the ACDR secretary of the entire Ghana Armed Forces, which is almost like the political wing of the army that ensured that the revolution survived.
He stated that he passed all his papers, except two, which he was later told by the then General Officer Commanding (GOC)Â the Southern Command, Brigadier-General Emmanuel Okyere (rtd) that his ordeals were orchestrated by the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Joseph Boateng Danquah.
Mr. Jakpa said he won the admiration of Brigadier-General Emmanuel Okyere (rtd), now National Security Adviser to President Akufo-Addo, after having excelled in IQ test, which was meant to declare him insane.
He said, GAF, through a psychological board, headed by one Dr Bruce, brought IQ questions from Cambridge and he scored 95/100.
According to him, not only did he excel in his interviews after graduating from the Military Academy, but was awarded the marksmanship and skills at arm award for his intake.
He further stated that the board reported to the Military High Command that he was super intelligent and whatever challenge he had with passing his exams was human making.
To buttress this point, he said he scored 97.8 in 25 exams he took for his self-sponsored distance private investigation education in Pennsylvania.
It is as a result of these academic excellence that he won the admiration of Mr. Okyere, to disclose why he was not passing his promotional exams.
A3 also said he became a target because of the senior officers of the army, because after graduating from the military academy, former president Jerry John Rawlings personally directed that he should be posted from the base workshop to the Gonda Barracks, RCCE Regiment.
Most of the Senior officers, therefore, saw him as a spy and became hostile towards him.
His situation worsened when there was a change of power in the year 2000 and Dr Addo Kufuor became the Minister for Defence.
Since the new government in power did not want him anywhere near the powerful guns at the RCCE Regiment, he was posted to Sunyani, as the Acting Commander of Independent Reconnaissance Squadron, providing support and intelligence for the entire northern part of the country.
During this period, Addo Kufuor visited Sunyani and per the tradition, he was to be briefed by the Commanding officers of the two military units – 3 Infantry Battalion and 2 Independent Reconnaissance Squadron.
He said after the Commanding officer of the 3 Infantry Battalion had finished his briefing and he was to take his turn, the Defence Minister refused to hear him, and ordered that the briefing was given to the other Officer to do, but he refused.
According to him, it is either the minister took the briefing from him or there was no briefing for him at all, because he was handling a separate unit from the 3 Infantry Battalion.
Since it was unlawful command and he refused to obey, the Minister requested that he briefed him for just five minutes, but A3 ended spending 45 minutes.
Jakpa admitted having taken the A-G’s number from his cousin, following Mr. Dame’s intervention in executing the bail bond.
He told the court that he was frustrated by the police after having executed his bail bond of GH¢5 million with three sureties, one to be justified with landed property worth the amount.
A3 said he sent a text message to Justice Kulendi, who at the time was sitting and had to excuse himself to rush to the A-G’s office for the latter’s intervention.
Justice Kulendi called him with his phone and he also had the opportunity to speak to the A-G at that point for the first time.
It was later that A3 was urged by Justice Kulendi to call the A-G and thank him for his assistance.
Following this, A3 also requested that he and the A-G met for private meeting and Mr. Dame responded that he will arrange it through his cousin, Justice Yonny Kolendi.
He also indicated that many of the chats from him that were not responded to by the A-G was because they had a verbal conversation on the matter earlier.
Other matters
Meanwhile, the court has ordered the National Security to fish out the person who recorded part of the court’s proceedings and leaked it out.
The case has been adjourned to Thursday to enable the defence appraised themselves with a document filed by the Prosecution.
