On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, the prosecution, led by Attorney General Godfred Dame, concluded its cross-examination of Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ongoing trial regarding the controversial ambulance contract.

The highlights of the proceedings revealed several key points about the case.

During the cross-examination, Attorney General Dame questioned Jakpa about the €700,000 he admitted to receiving under the ambulance contract.

When asked how much his principal, Big Sea General Trading LLC, received as commission, Jakpa stated he could not provide that information, as he was not Big Sea.

The Attorney General suggested that if Jakpa, as an agent, received 28.7% of the payment (€700,000), then between him and Big Sea, approximately 50% of the payment made by the Ghanaian government was used up, leading to the failure to supply proper ambulances.

Jakpa refuted this claim, arguing that the contract had received the necessary approvals from both Cabinet and Parliament.

However, when pressed to show where either Cabinet or Parliament approved the contract with Big Sea, Jakpa was unable to do so. It was revealed that the approvals related to a proposed Stanbic Bank facility that was never utilized.

Jakpa further argued that he was neither the Minister of Health nor Finance and thus was not responsible for ensuring the contract was approved by the appropriate authorities.

The Attorney General pointed out that the contract with Big Sea required the supply of brand-new ambulances, not the conversion of vehicles into ambulances. Jakpa disputed this but could not identify any provision in the contract authorizing Big Sea to convert vehicles.

The prosecution highlighted that, in violation of the contract's payment terms, Big Sea received payment from the NDC government before delivering the first batch of ambulances.

This was due to instructions from then-Deputy Finance Minister Hon. Ato Forson, who had established letters of credit without lawful authority.

Documentary evidence showed that Sherry Ayittey, the Minister of Health under the Mahama administration, had instructed Big Sea to halt the vehicle supply due to contractual issues and lack of funds to establish the letters of credit.

Her successor, Alex Segbefia, also complained about the vehicles, describing them as "ordinary vans" unfit for conversion into ambulances.

The court established that more than two years after the vehicles were delivered in December 2014, the NDC government had not converted them into ambulances before leaving office in 2017. The vehicles were left unused at the Airforce base due to their unsuitability for conversion.

Furthermore, it was revealed that Big Sea was only licensed to convert vehicles into ambulances by the ISO in April 2015, while the contract was signed in 2012, and the vehicles delivered in 2014. Jakpa was unable to provide documentation proving Big Sea was authorized to convert the vehicles at the time of the contract.

Jakpa claimed that legal advice from Hon. Dominic Ayine, then-Deputy Attorney General under the Mahama administration, validated the contract. However, when asked to read Ayine's advice in court, Jakpa could not identify any part that instructed the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Finance to establish the letters of credit for the ambulances.

The cross-examination revealed significant discrepancies in the handling of the ambulance contract and cast doubt on the legitimacy of the payments and approvals associated with it.