A Former Deputy Minister of Finance has withdrawn an application for recusal against Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting with additional responsibility as a High Court judge.

Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, through his Lawyer Dr Abdul Aziz Bamba, filed the application on June 29, 2023, asking the trial judge to recuse herself on the grounds of bias against the accused person.

Dr Bamba said the application had been brought to the Court under the inherent jurisdiction and that the trial judge was not competent to continue to hear the matter.

The Counsel said the application had to do with certain pre-juridical comments and utterances made by the judge during the process of the trial.

However, Justice Asare-Botwe, struck out the application as withdrawn.

Mr Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, who held brief for Dr. Bamba, subsequently prayed for the Court to release the passport of Dr. Forson to enable him to keep it till October 1, 2023.

Justice Asare-Botwe granted the request and ordered the accused to return the passport to the Court’s Registrar by 12 noon of October 2, 2023.

Dr Forson and two others; Dr Sylvester Anemana, a Former Chief Director of the Ministry of Health and Mr Richard Dzakpa, a Businessman, are being prosecuted over the purchase of some ambulances.

Dr Forson was granted a self-recognisance bail of GH¢3 million for allegedly willfully causing financial loss of 2,370,000 euros to the State.

He is also facing an additional charge of “intentionally misapplying public property contrary to section 1 (2) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD 140)”.

Dr Anemana was also granted a bail of one million Ghana Cedis with three sureties one of whom shall be a public servant not below the rank of a director.

While Mr Dzakpa was granted bail of five million Ghana cedis with three sureties one of whom must be justified with documents of landed property.

Earlier, the Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Sackey Torkornoo, dismissed a petition asking her to transfer the case to a different judge.

Mr Dzakpa petitioned the Chief Justice to remove the trial judge, alleging bias against him because of an incident which occurred during one of the court’s sittings.

The case has been adjourned to October 2, 2023, in the new legal year.