During his cross-examination on Thursday, June 13, in the ongoing ambulance case, Richard Jakpa detailed his standard procedures for interacting with the Ghanaian government as a businessman. 

According to Mr Jakpa, communications typically originate from Secretaries of Chief Directors or Deputy Ministers, who forward letters to the office of the substantive Minister of Finance.

Mr Jakpa explained that upon receipt of these communications, the substantive Secretary of the Minister of Finance would seek approval from the Minister. Once approved, the Secretary would affix the authorisation seal on the letter. 

Only then could the Controller and Accountant General's Department (CAGD) or the Bank of Ghana (BoG) proceed with implementing the instructions contained in the letter.

He emphasised the critical importance of this authorisation seal, which signifies approval from the Minister of Finance. 

Mr Jakpa stressed that without this security measure, neither the CAGD nor the BoG would act on any directive to debit Ghana's consolidated accounts, whether for local or international payments.

Mr Jakpa underscored during his testimony that this stringent process is designed to safeguard Ghana's financial integrity. 

It ensures that only the Finance Minister, with proper authoriation and oversight, can authorise debits from the country's consolidated account for payments related to services rendered or work completed by any Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assembly (MMDA).