The Ghana Armed Forces has claimed that the third accused in the ongoing ambulance trial, Richard Jakpa, was dismissed from the Ghana Armed Forces based on persistent offences and acts of misconduct.
The former officer of the Armed Forces has consistently denied ever seeing the supposed letter confirming his dismissal from the military 17 years ago.
The said document was tendered into evidence by Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah-Yeboah on Thursday, June 27, 2024.
Lawyers for the accused person had raised concerns that the claims alleged by the prosecution were aimed at discrediting his testimony in the trial.
Secretary to the Military High Command and custodian of documents at the Ghana Armed Forces, Nana Adu Gyamfi, who appeared in court on Thursday, July 18, 2024, told a different story.
He informed the court that the third accused person was dismissed based on inefficiency through a lack of application and interest.
He also told the court that his (Jakpa’s) service with the Military Colours was largely marked by indiscipline and fraudulent misconduct.
“Before such a letter would be written about an officer, he would have been taken through a series of processes. When officers commit offences, there are several interviews conducted. These interviews are documented and kept on record. These records are kept, and if nothing happens again, the records are discarded. But if the conduct continues then, the document is referred to in sanctioning the officer. Formal and informal interviews of the accused did not yield any results hence his dismissal”, he explained.
“Upon persistent offenses and misconducts, such a letter is written. The misconduct of the said officer will be at the officer’s unit before the unit will write to the general administration.”
He maintained that the conduct of Mr Jakpa in the regiment over the period was not only unacceptable but smacked of indiscipline.
“Mr Jakpa failed to return to his unit after taking part in officers’ promotion exams. After attending the course in Accra he failed to return to the unit. In addition to these acts, he was indebted to the tune of 400 dollars involving a Lebanese, an act that became notorious in his unit and the whole military command because of his refusal to repay the money to the businessman. This was settled by an officer.”
He confirmed that “Lieutenant Jakpa”, the third accused was given a copy of that report.
“He was granted a loan of $400 from the unit PRI. The money was granted to the officer (Richard Jakpa) when he was in financial difficulties. Upon persistent demands, he failed to pay the loan. In 2007, the money was converted into cedis and was deducted from his salary.”
The document of his indebtedness in 2004 was tended into evidence by the prosecution.
As a result, the court admitted the document regarding his indebtedness as evidence.
The witness, Air Commodore Nana Adu Gyamfi was discharged.
Lawyers for the accused person asked the court to enable the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to answer some questions.
The Attorney General, however, opposed the motion, stating that the CDS is not a significant witness at this time.
However, the court emphasised that because the case was criminal, if the accused stated that he required the CDS, their demands should be fulfilled. The case was deferred to July 23, 2024, after the list of witnesses asked to testify before the court was thoroughly discussed.
By: Rainbowrdioonline.com/Ghana
