Private legal practitioner and law lecturer Justice Abdulai has welcomed the request of live telecast of the ongoing Ambulance trial involving Minority leader and former Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
Justice Abdulai described the move as a positive step aims at advancing the cause of accountability and openness of the entire trial.
“It is a positive step and advances the cause of the entire system of accountability and openness with which the suspect wants us to see in this matter.”
The legal team on the instruction of their client Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the primary defendant in the ongoing ambulance procurement trial, has petitioned the Chief Justice to televise the remainder of the proceedings. This was contained in a letter dated May 30, 2024, to the Chief Justice. The petition according to the legal team, became necessary due to the explosive audio released by the opposition NDC on which Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame was heard instructing the third accused in the case, Richard Jakpa to implicate the first accused, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
In a bit to support the petition, Law Lecturer Justice Abdulai how the move affirms the resolve by the accused persons and their belief that they are innocent which is why they wanted the public to witness the trial. He noted that by so doing, the petitioners are clear in their mind that “They wouldn’t want a verdict to come out which will likely be in favor of the state when we all know that it ought not to have been so, but for the public eye, it would go unnoticed.”
“It clearly affirms for me their resolve and their believe that they are innocent in this trial which is why they want the entire public to see and know what goes on.”
He urged the Chief Justice Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo to grant the request without any shred of thought or doubt, adding that “clearly, from what is happening, we can no longer trust the attorney general’s office in the prosecution of this matter”
“So we all need to see and witness what goes on, even if at the end of the day judgement comes and goes against a particular party, we would have witnessed the unfolding event and the evidence that were adduce by all sides and we could also form our own opinion and judgement of event”