The state has questioned the journalist’s decision to seek medical treatment in California, USA, suggesting he lacked a proper referral from any local medical facility in the ongoing legal battle with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Attorney General (AG).

Prior to that, Latif had stayed away from work for over a year as prescribed by Physicians at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, one of the medical facilities where he received treatment.

In his response to the suggestion by the Senior state Attorney that "there was no referral for you to travel abroad for medical treatment", the journalist told the court that his condition started deteriorating when he suffered a relapse just days after he resumed work in 2019, after months of being laid up.

The journalist further narrated to the court that following that disturbing relapse, his employer and close associates, including family members, facilitated his travel to the USA to access advanced medical care to prevent further deterioration.

Latif rounded up his response, arguing that though there are no documented referral notices for him to go to the USA for treatment, there were private recommendations and referrals by Physicians who advised him to look elsewhere due to the apparent ineffectiveness of the treatment he was receiving locally.

He told the court that "The care I received in the USA is the reason why I am able to stand here (court) today to testify in the matter, and I am glad I did that".

The journalist believes that the critical care he received at the Loma Linda University Medical Center and the Southern California Brain Center all in California USA, are reasons why he is still alive and active.

The state’s legal team has spent the past seven years attempting to undermine the journalist’s claims that he was brutally assaulted by officers of the Ghana Police Service in March 2018 at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department.

However, medical records showed that indeed the journalist had his skull fractured and was suffering from some complications.

The state continues to argue that no police officer assaulted the journalist, despite Latif’s consistent testimony and medical records suggesting otherwise.

In a surprising turn, the Attorney General in 2023 informed the court that it had advised the IGP to settle the matter out of court by compensating the journalist.

However, when the case resumed, the AG reported that the then IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, had declined to settle and preferred for the case to proceed through the judicial system.

The state appears to be attempting to distance itself from the alleged assault, albeit inconsistently, in an apparent effort to avoid taking responsibility for the journalist’s injuries.

Meanwhile, Latif Iddrisu and his employer remain resolute in their pursuit of justice, seeking a ruling that holds the Ghana Police Service accountable for its actions.

In a bid to expedite proceedings, the current judge, the third to handle the case since its filing in 2019, allotted ten hearing days for April alone.

However, due to the unavailability of the Attorney General’s representative on several scheduled dates, seven of those hearing days have already been lost.

The case is scheduled to resume on Thursday, April 17, 2025, with Senior State Attorney Nancynetta Twumasi Asiamah expected to continue her cross-examination of Latif Iddrisu.