Mr Richard Dzakpa, the third accused person in the trial of Dr Ato Forson, a former Deputy Minister of Finance, says the government and Big Sea both agreed on the specifications of the ambulances to be imported.
He confirmed that the agreed specifications were specified in the contract between the Ministry of Health and Big Sea.
Dr Forson was granted a self-recognisance bail of GH¢3 million for allegedly wilfully causing financial loss of 2,370,000 euros to the State.
He is also facing an additional charge of “Intentionally misapplying public property, contrary to section 1 (2) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD 140).”
Mr Dzakpa was also granted bail of five million Ghana Cedis with three sureties, one of whom must be justified with documents of landed property.
Mr Dzakpa, answering questions in a cross-examination led by Dr Ali Bamba, the Counsel for Dr Forson, said the specifications were in an exhibit before the court, which had the specification and terms sheet.
He said based on exhibit L, which was the specifications proposed to the government, which culminated into exhibit V, which was the contract.
The accused person said exhibit Z, the first, was about the body which had to do with the external aspect of the ambulance and when looking at exhibit V, it also still talked about the body, the word ‘Ambulance’, how it should be written or designed was not part of the terms agreed by the parties, neither was the name ambulance and call number specified and how it should be designed and written.
Mr Dzakpa said in exhibit V, no working light requirement was in the specifications agreed upon by both parties, so Exhibit Z was talking about a requirement that was not agreed to by both parties.
“Under the cockpit, that requirement is not prescribed in exhibit V under the body,” he said.
He said, in a nutshell, comparing exhibit Z ambulance body requirement vis a vis exhibit V body requirement, both were completely different.
Mr Dzakpa said the body requirement of Exhibit Z was not what the government signed with Big Sea to manufacture; hence, this body requirement aspect of Exhibit Z was not binding on Big Sea, and as such was allied to Exhibit V.
The accused person said because the pre-shipment inspection was not done and it did not stop Big Sea from executing the other parts of Exhibit V, did not stop Big Sea from going ahead to ship the ambulances because it was the government that refused to do the pre-shipment inspection.
He said when the first 10 ambulances arrived at the port and the bill of laden duly submitted to the Ministry of Health, they again did not proceed to the port to protect the ambulances.
The accessories of the first 10 ambulances were stolen and apart from the accessories being stolen, the inlet compartment was vandalised at the port.
He said the post-inspection delivery report was carried out only on the first 10 ambulances and not overall 30 ambulances that were involved.
Asked whether all the medical accessories have arrived in the country, the accused person said there were two issues.
He said the medical equipment of the first 10 ambulances, of which Exhibit Z was reported to have been stolen at the port.
He said later, the rest of the 20, making 30, were not part of the ambulances when they were shipped.
The accused person said this was because the Ministry of Health had agreed with the supplier to ship the next 20 without the accessories and ship the accessories separately in a container because of the incident of the first 10 ambulances.
By Morkporkpor Anku
GNA
