Felix Kwakye Ofosu, a former Deputy Minister of Information, has disclosed that the move by the Attorney-General, Mr Godfred Dame, in a law suit against Dr Cassiel Ato Forson is a deliberate attempt to silence him.
Describing the Attorney General as “hatchet man” for President Akufo-Addo, he indicated that the suit is intended to silence political opponents. Mr. Kwakye Ofosu explained that the recent suit charges brought against Dr. Forson are only meant to muzzle him from speaking against the 1.75% E-levy Bill.
“This is nothing short of a cruel, callous witch hunt, deliberately embarked upon by an Attorney-General who has turned himself into a hatchet man, and is going after political opponents at will, for the pleasure of his boss the President. It is deliberately designed to silence Honourable Ato Forson, who has been a pillar in Parliament, and has been at the fore front of fighting against the e-levy, which many Ghanaians are opposed to”.
Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu
Charges against Dr Cassiel Ato Forson
Mr Kwakye noted that, Dr Forson has been at the helm of exposing the “maladministration, the malfeasance and corruption” of this government. It is for that reason, he intimated that the Attorney-General is embarking on this “comical, cruel witch hunt”.
It will be recalled that on December 23, the Attorney-General filed criminal charges against Dr. Ato Forson, a former Deputy Minister of Finance and two other persons for causing financial loss to the state. The charges were in relation to the procurement of 200 ambulances during the erstwhile Atta Mills and Mahama-led government.
Reacting to the charges levelled against Dr Forson, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu explained that the purchase of the ambulances received approval from Parliament, Cabinet and the Public Procurement Authority. He revealed that appropriate legal advice from the then Attorney-General was sought in addition to authorisation for Letters of Credit to be established.
Commenting on claims the ambulances were not fit for purpose, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu explained that there were clauses in the contract that provision for such matters to be resolved. As such, it is flawed for people to accuse Dr Forson of causing financial loss to the state.
“Indeed, the company involved itself offered to sit with officials to resolve any concerns they had regarding the quality of the ambulances. So if you don’t do that, and a loss is occasioned, that loss actually should be heaped at the doorstep of this government. They’re the ones who have refused in the last few years, to do what has to be done”.
Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference yesterday, December 24, 2021, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, dismissed the charges by the Attorney-General, describing them as an attempt to stop him from opposing the E-levy Bill. But according to him, no amount of intimidation can cower him into silence.
According to him, after four years, government never felt the need to ask him for another statement until when he started raising issues on the 2022 Budget. He indicated that his responsibility as a fiscal economist is to look into government’s policy and advise same. Dr Forson revealed that the move by government is a clear indication that they want to “take him” on to keep him quiet.
READ ALSO: Libya: Rising Political Risk Poses Key Risk to Oil Output
