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An Accra High Court has granted bail former Deputy Finance Minister, Dr Ato Forson and two others standing trial for causing financial loss to the state a bail in the sum of Nine million Ghana cedis (GHC 9 million).
Dr Forson and the two others are currently standing trial at the court for allegedly causing financial loss of €2.37 million to the state.
The trio are said to have misapplied the said amount when the Ministry purchased some 200 ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016.
Dr Forson, who is also the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ajumako Enyan Esiam, and the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, is in court with Sylvester Anemana, a former Chief Director of the Ministry of Health and Richard Jakpa, a businessman.
In court this morning, all the accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the five charges of causing financial loss to the state.
The two other accused are Sylvester Anemana, who was a Chief Director at the Ministry of Health, and Richard Jakpa, the Ghana representative of Dubai-based Big Sea General Trading Limited.
While Sylvester Anemana has been charged for abetment of crime namely wilfully causing financial loss to the state contrary to Sections 20(1) and 179A(3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 and breaching the Public Procurement Act, Richard Jakpa is on a charge of wilfully causing financial loss to the state “by intentionally causing vehicles purporting to be ambulances to be supplied tot he Republic of Ghana by Big Sea General Trading Ltd of Dubai without due cause”.
Mr Ato Forson, who is the first accused, has additionally been charged for intentionally misapplying public property contrary to section 1(2) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977.
He is said to have misapplied €2.37 million by causing irrevocable Letters of Credit to be established against the budget of the Ministry of Health in favour of the Dubai-based firm.
The charges were brought against the three by the state.
