The Court of Appeal has acquitted and discharged Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, a former Deputy Minister of Finance, in the trial of some ambulances purchased in the name of Ghana.
This was confirmed by Ato Forson, who is also the current Minority Leader in Parliament, after news of the new development started flooding social media.
In a text broadcast message that was shared on WhatsApp, it read;
"The Court of Appeal has just acquitted and discharged Hon. Ato Forson.
"The order for Dr. Ato Forson to open his defence by the trial Court in the ongoing ambulance case has been set aside by the Court of Appeal.
"In short, Hon. Ato Forson’s submission of no case has been upheld."
According to a tweet by GHOne TV, the decision was arrived at by a 3-member panel of the Court of Appeal.
"Minority Leader, Dr. Ato Forson and businessman Richard Jakpa have been acquitted and discharged by the Court of Appeal.
"A panel of three in a 2-1 majority decision said Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe’s ruling on submission of no case to answer on March 30th, 2023 for the accused to open their defense was in error..." the tweet read.
This decision overturns the trial court's order for Dr. Ato Forson to open his defence.
The ruling signifies that Dr. Ato Forson’s submission of no case, which was previously rejected by trial judge, Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe, has now been upheld by the Court of Appeal.
By setting aside the trial court's decision, the Court of Appeal has effectively cleared Dr. Ato Forson of the need to present a defence in this case.
This development marks a significant turn in the legal proceedings, exonerating Dr. Ato Forson from the allegations brought against him in the ambulance case.
Cassiel Ato Forson and Richard Jakpa, who is a representative for Big Sea, have been accused of causing a financial loss of €2.37 million to the state in a deal to purchase 200 ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016.
Credit: GhanaWeb.com