Allegations of Misconduct: Arise Ghana want Attorney General removed in the Ato Forson Ambulance Trial

Pressure group, Arise Ghana has called for the immediate removal of Attorney General and Minister of Justice Godfred Dame for allegedly attempting to coerce witness testimony.

The group is also accusing Godfred Dame of engaging in unethical and criminal conduct in the ongoing trial of Dr Cassiel Ato Forson and two others.

The co-convener of Arise Ghana Bernard Mornah, said information available to the group suggested that the Attorney General Godfred Dame had “scaled, met, and engaged the third accused, Richard Jakpa severely, sometimes at odd and ungodly hours to persuade him to testify falsely in order to secure a conviction for Hon Ato Forson.”

“The latest revelation is the open testimony by the third Accused, Mr. Richard Jakpa, to the effect that the Attorney-General has scaled, met and engaged him severally, sometimes at odd and ungodly hours to persuade him to testify falsely in order to secure conviction for Hon Ato Forson.”

Bernard Mornah further claimed that the Attorney General was present in court when the third accused made these revelations, but could not object to them but rather chose to engage the media on the matter in an attempt to save his already soiled reputation.

“Curiously, the Attorney-General was present in court at the time but could not object to Mr. Jakpa’s revelation which had indicted him. Rather, he chose to engage the media on the matter in an attempt to save his already soiled reputation.”

The controversy deepened when the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday May 28, 2024,  at a press conference addressed by the party chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah released an audio recording of a telephone conversation between the Attorney General and Mr. Richard Jakpa, in which Godfred Dame was allegedly heard impressing upon, coaxing and virtually begging Mr. Richard Jakpa to skew his testimony to aid the prosecution to obtain conviction against the minority leader.

Arise Ghana has described the Attorney General’s conduct as “dishonest, unethical and criminal,” and has joined numerous calls for his resignation or dismissal if he fails to do so honorably.

“His conduct demonstrates clearly that he cannot do good to all manner of persons as enjoined by his Oath of Office,” the group stated, adding that it is “unthinkable that the man who claims to have a water-tight case against the accused persons would stoop so low to engage in this kind of misconduct.”

The group has called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to sack his chief legal advisor without further delay to “restore some confidence in the office of Attorney General as well as the Bar of Ghana.”

The pressure group has joined number of voices of conscience from the Civil Society Organizations and some private citizens calling on the president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to relieve Godfred Dame off his duties if he refuses to resign by himself.