Minority Leaders and a former Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has retracted a request for disqualification of Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, a Justice from the Court of Appeal with additional duties as a High Court judge.

On June 29, 2023, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, represented by his attorney Dr Abdul Aziz Bamba, lodged a petition requesting the trial judge's recusal based on claims of partiality towards the defendant.

Dr Bamba explained that the application was submitted to the Court through its inherent jurisdiction, asserting that the trial judge lacked the authority to proceed with the case.

The Counsel said the application had to do with certain pre-juridical comments and utterances made by the judge during the process of the trial.

However, Justice Asare-Botwe, struck out the application as withdrawn.

Mr Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, who held brief for Dr Bamba, subsequently prayed for the Court to release the passport of Dr Forson to enable him to keep it till October 1, 2023.

Justice Asare-Botwe granted the request and ordered the accused to return the passport to the Court’s Registrar by 12 noon of October 2, 2023.

Dr Forson and two others; Dr Sylvester Anemana, a Former Chief Director of the Ministry of Health and Mr Richard Dzakpa, a Businessman, are being prosecuted over the purchase of some ambulances.

Dr Forson was granted a self-recognisance bail of GHC 3 million for allegedly willfully 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)”.

Dr Anemana was also granted a bail of one million Ghana Cedis with three sureties one of whom shall be a public servant not below the rank of a director.

While Mr Dzakpa was granted bail of five million Ghana cedis with three sureties one of whom must be justified with documents of landed property.

Earlier, the Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Sackey Torkornoo, dismissed a petition asking her to transfer the case to a different judge.

Mr Dzakpa petitioned the Chief Justice to remove the trial judge, alleging bias against him because of an incident which occurred during one of the court’s sittings.

The case has been adjourned to October 2, 2023, in the new legal year.