Former President John Dramani Mahama has asserted that the trial of Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader, regarding the ambulance purchase was unjustified from the beginning.
Mahama, who is also the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has always believed in Forson’s innocence and feels vindicated by the recent court decision.
Mahama expressed his satisfaction with the court’s ruling, which he views as confirmation of Forson’s innocence.
He remarked, “The court’s decision confirms what we’ve always known: that Dr. Forson was innocent. We have always believed this prosecution should never have occurred. The outcome of the appeal was unexpected because I had not been closely following the case since the appeal was filed a while ago.”
The High Court had scheduled a hearing for the ambulance case on July 30, 2024. However, on the same day, the Court of Appeal overturned the earlier decision, acquitting and discharging Dr. Forson and his co-defendants, Richard Jakpa and Sylvester Anemana.
The High Court had previously instructed the accused to present their defense after the prosecution established a prima facie case against them in connection with a 2.37 million Euro ambulance purchase.
The Court of Appeal’s ruling criticized the High Court’s previous decision, stating that the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidence to warrant the defense stage.
The panel of three justices found no substantive proof linking the accused to the alleged financial loss and concluded that any financial mismanagement should be attributed to the Ministry of Health’s actions.
The Court of Appeal’s decision was a significant relief for Dr. Forson and his co-defendants, affirming their acquittal and discharge from all charges.
