Ambulance case: Court admits into evidence WhatsApp chats between Jakpa and Dame

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

In doing so, the presiding judge, Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe, acknowledged the previous admission of WhatsApp conversations involving Jakpa and affirmed the prosecution's assertion that the entire exchange should be considered.

She, however, made it clear that it behooves the court to assess the evidential value of those messages.

At the last sitting on June 18, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, told the court while cross-examining the third accused person that there were a number of messages sent by Mr. Jakpa to the Attorney General, unlike the vice versa.

She thus sought to tender those 68 WhatsApp messages into evidence, which faced an objection from the lawyer for the third accused.

The court, however, decided to admit those messages when it reconvened today.

You may recall that while under cross-examination on the said day, Mr. Jakpa indicated, among others, that he initiated Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa.

He also said that he obtained the AG's contact information through his cousin, Supreme Court Judge Justice Yonny Kulendi.

Further, the third accused answered that the messages presented in court were selectively chosen for relevance rather than representing the complete conversation.