The third defendant in the trial of former Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, businessman Richard Jakpa, testified that the letter of credit in question bore the seal of then Finance Minister, Seth Terkpah.
Jakpa stressed that without the minister’s stamp of authentication, the letter of credit would have been invalid.
He further explained that this seal of certification is extremely important and its presence legitimizes the letter of credit.
Jakpa noted that the Bank of Ghana only opened letters of credit after obtaining permission from the then Deputy Auditor-General.
In his testimony, Jakpa emphasised the procedural importance of the stamp of authentication, arguing that it was an essential step in the process.
He reiterated that the seal authenticates the letter of credit and guarantees its validity.
Mr Jakpa’s statement was aimed at clarifying the chain of authority and the role of the Minister of Finance’s seal in the issuance and opening of letters of credit by the Bank of Ghana.
“Following the documents marked on pages 2 and 3 of Exhibit AK, the former Finance Minister [ Hon. Seth Terkper] We wrote to Big Sea to inform them that we were finalizing the establishment of the letter of credit. [BOG] They asked me to open the LC with the Minister of Finance’s stamp of approval.”
“This was confirmed by Exhibit A. Subsequently, the Deputy Commissioner and Accountant General finally authorized the BOG to establish the LC by Exhibit B,” an excerpt of the witness statement said.
The businessman also claimed that none of the accused played a role in causing financial loss to the state.
He explained that the state had no intention of terminating the contract and had accepted the ownership of the ambulance.
Jakpa further noted that government has delivered on its promise by paying for the ambulances.
He emphasized that all necessary accessories were delivered in accordance with contract specifications.
This denied the claim that the defendants had intentional or malicious intent to cause economic loss to the state.
“From the details of the charges leveled against me, it is clear that the government itself has admitted that the ambulances were supplied to Ghana. What I am saying here is that it is true that the ambulances were supplied to the Ghanaian government. As such, it cannot honestly be said that the government suffered an economic loss when it received or took possession of the ambulance and showed no intention of terminating the contract.
His statement added: “The government has indeed committed to fulfilling the contract by paying for the ambulance, as confirmed in the negotiated addendum to the contract.”
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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