The ongoing Ato Forson Ambulance trial against minority leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has sparked a lot of debates and deliberations between lawyers, social media enthusiasts and the general populace with varying groups making a case for their stance based on law, the constitution, sentiments and political affiliations.
In a social media banter between, Kofi Opare Hagan, a known ‘facebook lawyer’ and Martin Kpebu, a private media practioner who is known in the media space for giving commentaries on law and the constitution. The banter between the two were on the subject of law particularly sections 18 and 213 of act 29 of the constitution.The disparity between the two was on whether the Attorney General has violated and abused the law in the exercise of his powers.
Martin Kpebu maintained the Attorney General ‘coached’ Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ongoing ambulance trial by rhetorically asking ‘You didn’t hear Dame telling him to answer in a manner contrary to the belief of Jakpa? Did you hear Jakpa inform Dame that what Dame was requesting was dishonest?’ He further said it’s an attempt to fabricate evidence.
These questions came after Opare Hagan explained Godfred Dame can only be accused of committing a crime where legal terms ‘mens rea’ and ‘actus rea’ are present which in the subject of their argument was amiss. Kpebu in rebuttal told Opare Hagan to consult legal books Archbold or Blackstone. After Hagan showed Kpebu he has superior knowledge in the said books, Kpebu responded with ‘lol’ which in social media terms means laughing out loud.
