Court admits full WhatsApp chats between Jakpa and AG into evidence

The High Court in Accra has admitted into evidence full WhatsApp messages between Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ongoing ambulance procurement trial and the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame.

Trial judge, Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe noted that the court had previously admitted WhatsApp chats from the third accused, and therefore could not reject what the prosecution described as the complete conversation.

However, she emphasised that the court reserves the right to determine the weight of the evidence presented.

During the proceedings on Tuesday, June 18, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa highlighted the significant number of messages sent by Mr Jakpa in contrast to the limited responses from the Attorney-General.

The DPP sought to introduce all of Mr Jakpa’s WhatsApp messages into evidence.

Mr Jakpa admitted that he introduced himself to the Attorney-General before the trial and obtained the Justice Minister’s contact information through his cousin, Supreme Court Judge, Justice Yonny Kulendi.

Under cross-examination, he acknowledged that the messages presented in court did not represent the entire conversation but were selectively chosen for their relevance to his case.

The DPP’s attempt to submit the full WhatsApp conversation faced objections from Mr Thaddeus Sory, counsel for Mr Jakpa, who argued that the defence needed more time to thoroughly review the messages.

Already, the court has admitted into evidence a 16-minute recorded phone conversation between Mr Dame and the third accused, in which the AG is accused of witness tampering by the third accused and other persons of interest in the case.

Source: myjoyonline.com