……Col Festus Aboagye joins Gbevlo-Lartey for further & better particulars

Security Analyst, Colonel Festus Aboagye (Rtd), is demanding further and better particulars from the Ghana Armed Force (GAF), saying if the Military Secretary, who testified in court last week only presented a letter as evidence to prove the said dismissal of Richard Jakpa, in the ongoing ambulance trial, then something might be wrong.

Colonel Aboagye, is the second retired senior military officer after Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, a former National Security Coordinator, to wade into the dishonourable military discharge claim the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, is pushing at the trial to discredit Richard Jakpa, who had recorded him during a telephone conversation where he; Dame was heard telling the accuse person what to say in court.   

Gbevlo-Lartey, who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, and onetime Commander of the 64th Battalion of Infantry, a Commando Unit under late President Jerry John Rawlings, had earlier questioned how a confidential report prepared by the GAF on Richard Jakpa, ended up in the hands of the Attorney-General.

The Military High Command last week, confirmed that Richard Jakpa was dismissed from the GAF based on persistent offences and acts of misconduct. Richard Jakpa has vehemently denied ever seeing the supposed letter confirming his dismissal from the military since he left the service 17 years ago.

Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah-Yeboah on Thursday, June 27, tendered in evidence of Richard Jakpa’s supposed dismissal letter from the GAF. Mr Jakpa’s lawyers, argue these claims aim to discredit his testimony in the trial involving the Minority Leader and former Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.

In court on Thursday, July 18, Secretary to the Military High Command and custodian of documents at the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Air Commodore Nana Adu Gyamfi, discounted Richard Jakpa’s allegation that, he was never given a letter relating to his dismissal.

According to Nana Adu Gyamfi, Mr Jakpa, was dismissed based on inefficiency through lack of application and interest. He contended that his service with the Military was largely marked by indiscipline and fraudulent misconduct.

Speaking on JoyFM’s Top Story on July 18, the security analyst, explained that by military law, before one is dismissed, there are several proceedings, and with each procedure, there is documentation.

Colonel Aboagye, argued that if Nana Adu Gyamfi, who is the Military Secretary, only presented a letter as the basis for the dismissal, then something was wrong.

“In that disciplinary court Marshal, witnesses will be called so a number of the things that are been referenced, he owed the regimental fund, he owed this, he owes that, he did not pass his promotion exams, all of these are documentary evidence.

“All of this would be recorded and at the end, the president of the disciplinary court martial will write a report with recommendations and because the commanding officer cannot dismiss or release an officer from the service, reference will be made to the appropriate superior authority.

“So it is that appropriate superior authority who has to approve the sentence. In this case, the dishonourable or whatever release that would be documentary evidence. It must exist. If it does not exist and the letter that is being referenced is only a letter written by my good friend, Col Okyere then I think something would have been missing,” he said.

Addressing the issue of whether or not the alleged misconducts were stated in the document and copied to Mr Jakpa, Nana Adu, averred that the military does not put out offences in release instructions.

“Before such a letter would be written about an officer, he would have been taken through a series of processes. When officers commit offences, there are several interviews conducted. These interviews are documented and kept on record. These records are kept, and if nothing happens again, the records are discarded. But if the conduct continues then, the document is referred to in sanctioning the officer. Formal and informal interviews of the accused did not yield any results, hence his dismissal”, he explained.

He continued, “Upon persistent offenses and misconducts, such a letter is written. The misconduct of the said officer, will be at the officer’s unit before the unit will write to the general administration.”

The conduct of Mr Jakpa in the regiment over the period, he said, was not only unacceptable, but smacked of indiscipline.

He recounted a series of misconducts kept on the records of Mr Jakpa.

“Mr Jakpa, failed to return to his unit after taking part in officers’ promotion exams. After attending the course in Accra, he failed to return to the unit. In addition to these acts, he was indebted to the tune of 400 dollars involving a Lebanese, an act that became notorious in his unit and the whole military command, because of his refusal to repay the money to the businessman. This was settled by an officer.”

Asked whether Mr Jakpa was given a copy of the letter, the Air Force Officer, confirmed that “Lieutenant Jakpa”, the third accused was given a copy of that report, also revealed what was contained in one report which he said Mr Jakpa had a copy of.

“He was granted a loan of $400 from the unit PRI. The money was granted to the officer (Richard Jakpa) when he was in financial difficulties. Upon persistent demands, he failed to pay the loan. In 2007, the money was converted into cedis and was deducted from his salary.”

The document of his indebtedness in 2004, was tended into evidence by the prosecution. The court, thus, admitted the document on his indebtedness into evidence.

The witness, Air Commodore Nana Adu Gyamfi ,was discharged. Upon his discharge, counsel for the accused contended that they still needed the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) himself to answer some questions. This was objected to by the Attorney General, saying the CDS at this material moment is not a material witness.

But the court indicated that judging from the nature of the case being criminal, if the accused says he needed the CDS, their wishes should be granted.

The case was adjourned to tomorrow, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, after the list of persons who have been invited to testify before the court was thoroughly discussed.

 The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin; Alex Segbefia, and Samuel Silas Mensah are among the persons due to mount the witness box.

Godfred Yeboah Dame and his team, had been pushing the report against Jakpa in court during the ambulance purchase case to attest to Jakpa’s character, including how he failed his promotional exams. The document detailed that Jakpa, lagged in his military career, unable to progress from Lieutenant to Captain and Major, therefore, was dismissed.

However, Gbevlo-Lartey, an ex-senior military officer, suggested the document was not a dismissal letter as some claimed, but merely a “recommendation from Army HQ to GHQ (COS) with confidential security classification.”

He emphasized that “not even the officer affected was to see this document.”

With a picture of the one-page document, on his Facebook wall on Friday, June 28, Gbevlo-Lartey stated in parts that “GHQ (COS) owes the Ghana Armed Forces an explanation on how the document became public.”

“The document was a recommendation from Army HQ to GHQ (COS) with confidential security classification. Not even the officer affected was to see this document. GHQ (COS) owes the Ghana Armed Forces an explanation on how the document became public,” wrote Lt Col. Gbevlo-Lartey, a widely respected Infantry Officer.

Currently, Gbevlo-Lartey is a private legal practitioner.

He had served as the African Union Chairperson’s Special Representative in Charge of Counter Terrorism based in Algiers, Algeria, following his replacement by Yaw Donkor of the erstwhile Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) by President John Dramani Mahama.

The ex-Commander of the 64th Battalion of Infantry, He is also the Executive Chairman at the Human Security Research Centre of the University of Ghana, his alma mater, where he lectures.

It has been reported that, Richard Jakpa was dismissed from the GAF in 2007 for “unsatisfactory conduct”. This was entered into evidence as part of the ambulance trial currently ongoing at the Accra High Court.  

Jakpa has been accused of causing a financial loss of €2.37 million to the state in an ambulance deal with the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson. 

The Deputy Attorney-General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, who started his cross-examination of Jakpa on Thursday [June 27, 2024] entered into evidence a letter supposedly written to dismiss Jakpa from the GAF in 2007.

The letter, included allegations of misconduct and breach of military protocols leading to his dismissal. Jakpa’s lawyers, led by Thaddius Sory, had objected to the tendering of the letter and raised an issue of relevance, but the presiding judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, admitted the document into evidence.

She said the witness had already acknowledged the document being tendered and has already said he could speak to it, adding the cover letters were official documents and would be admitted to prove credibility or otherwise.

The letter, written and signed on behalf of the Chief of the Army Staff by the late Brigadier General M.K.G. Ahiaglo, the then Commander of the Southern Command of the Ghana Armed Forces, had indicated that Richard Jakpa, had been released from service for “unsatisfactory conduct.”

It read “The above-named officer was commissioned into the Armour Corps as a Regular Officer on 21 August 1998.

All things being equal, the officer should have made the rank of Captain on 21 August 2002 and a Major on 21 August 2007.

He has consistently failed his PROMEX and now lags behind his mates in rank. Also, his service with the Colours, has been largely unsatisfactory, marked by consistent fraudulent conduct, abrasiveness and general indiscipline.

In addition, Lt R. Jakpa (GH/2899) has incessantly been indebted to various people/institutions during the period.

An example was his long indebtedness to Recce Regt PRI to the tune of $300.00, which he was unable to pay till authority was sought for the amount to be deducted from his salary.

Throughout his service life, Lt R. Jakpa (GH/2899) has proved consistently that he belongs to a world incompatible with the decent and gentlemanly composure that the Presidential Commission confers on officers of the Ghana Armed Forces.

He is a bad example by all standards and his continued retention in the Service is likely to cause more harm to the Service and to himself.

Indeed, in May 2004, a special report submitted on him by his Commanding Officer suggested that the officer had reached his ceiling.

Three years on, his new Commanding Officer, describes his conduct as shameful and regrettable. From the foregoing the continued retention of Lt R. Jakpa is not in the best interest of the GAF and, indeed, himself. It has accordingly been decided that Lt R. Jakpa be released from the Service forthwith.

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