Ambulances were not fit for purpose because they were not ready – Jakpa

Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ongoing ambulance trial, has said that the ambulances delivered were not fit for purpose because they were not ready for use.
 
Richard Jakpa and Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson are standing trial for their alleged involvement in the purchase of the ambulances, which the prosecution believes caused financial loss to the state.
 
Under cross-examination, Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame sought to point to letters of government appointees in the erstwhile Mahama government to show that the ambulances were not fit for purpose.
 
According to the Attorney General, the ambulances that were delivered were defective from the onset.
 
He pointed to a letter written by former minister of health, Alex Segbefia on August 10, 2015, stating that 30 ambulances delivered did not meet the specifications.
 
Richard Jakpa, however, explained that the said letter was not relevant because the government, in the aftermath of this letter, had sent a delegation to Dubai to engage in negotiations on how to settle challenges relating to the implementation of the ambulances.
 
This meeting, according to Mr. Jakpa, came up with an addendum signed and witnessed by the parties that addressed all issues challenging the implementation of the contract.
 
Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, however, noted that the defects that were seen on the ambulances, first delivered in December 2014, were not rectified by the past government because the ambulances were not suitable.
 
Jakpa, however, maintained that at the time the vehicles were cleared, the government of Ghana was only under an obligation to clear the goods, park them for safekeeping, and wait for handover before they could use them.
 
According to him, the decision to leave the vehicles as such was because the government was weary of a warranty that barred the use of the ambulances until handover.
 
Pushed further on this point, Richard Jakpa noted that the ambulances were not fit for purpose because they were not ready to be used.