The Chief Executive of Big Sea General Tradings Limited, Hamed Sardashti, is expected to testify in court today Thursday, July 11, 2024 as the first defense witness for the third accused person, Richard Jakpa, in the ongoing ambulance case trial.
Mr. Sardashti was the representative of Big Sea, who, according to Mr. Jakpa, the third accused, played a significant role in the purchase of ambulances.
Mr. Jakpa, who stoked controversy in the ongoing ambulance case after accusing the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, of holding odd-hour meetings with him to implicate Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the minority leader, ended his testimony.
The third accused was discharged from the witness box after four days of extensive cross-examination by state prosecutors, particularly by the AG, Godfred Yeboah Dame, his deputy Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, and the Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs. Yvonne Attakora Obuobisa.
Richard Jakpa, a businessman, is standing trial together with former Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson for causing financial loss to the state to the tune of 2.37 million euros following the purchase of ambulances.
The accused persons have however pleaded not guilty and are standing trial before Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court judge.
Both the prosecution and Dr. Forson, the first accused person, have closed their cases after parading their respective witnesses, with Mr. Jakpa set to call his witnesses.
Mr. Hamed Sardashti would be the first of eight witnesses Mr. Jakpa is expected to call.
Businessman Richard Jakpa, the Executive Chairman of Jakpa at Business Limited (JBL), a local representative of Big Sea raised concerns about the investigation work carried out by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in the €2.37 million ambulance case.
In his evidence-in-chief to the court, Mr. Jakpa said his company, Jakpa at Business Limited (JBL), contacted Big Sea General Trading L.L.C (Big Sea) through a third party and engaged with Big Sea for the supply and delivery of the ambulances.
“I must say here that before engaging with Big Sea, JBL did its due diligence. JBL satisfied itself that Big Sea is a well-known company in the Middle East, Africa, and Middle Asia that provides high-quality and cost-effective medical equipment along with efficient after-sales services.
“Big Sea also trades in, among other things, mobile clinics and provides ambulance conversion services.
“JBL was, therefore, particular about the ability of its partner to deliver on the ambulances to be purchased by the government after its proposal found favor with the government. In JBL’s view, Big Sea satisfied its criteria for selecting a partner to deliver on the purchase of the ambulances.
“In engaging with Big Sea, its Chief Executive, Hamed Sardashti, flew down to Ghana, and after holding discussions with JBL, an exclusive agency agreement was signed between Big Sea, as principal, and JBL, as an exclusive agent.
“Under this exclusive agency agreement, JBL was appointed Big Sea’s agent for the whole of West Africa in 2011, excluding Nigeria because Big Sea had an agent in Nigeria already,” Jakpa told the court.
