Ambulance case: I’ve not applied for plea bargain; ignore false publications – Ato Forson
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Lawyer for Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Edudzi Tamakloe, says he is ready to prove his innocence in the case that has to do with the purchase of 200 ambulances for the Ministry of Health.
He tells 3News that his client has no intention of settling the matter through a plea bargain. This comes in the wake of a publication suggesting that the Minority Leader had written to the Attorney-General (A-G) seeking to refund the amount involved.
Speaking to 3News on the matter, Mr Edudzi Tamakloe says his side is ready to prove the innocence of the politician.
“Publication that Minority Leader wants to settle ambulance case completely false. It will do the Attorney-General a lot of good to put out there in public, any formal communication, by way of notice or application from Dr. Forson to the Attorney-General asking for a plea bargain. That will settle the matter,” he said.
Dr. Forson has been accused of causing a €2.37 million financial loss to the state, through a contract to purchase 200 ambulances for the Ministry, among other charges. Dr. Forson was Deputy Minister of Health at the time the contract was awarded.
The ambulances have been described by prosecutors as ordinary buses which do not have the needed equipment that an ambulance should contain.
The Office of the Attorney-General three months ago, rejected a proposal by counsel for Richard Jakpa, who is standing trial alongside Dr. Forson for a refund of the cash sum to withdraw the case.
The Office of the Attorney-General rejected the terms of the proposal for various reasons. These include the fact that the proposed refund does not make up for the amount the state lost as a result of the purchase of the defective ambulances.
Source: 3news.com
