Alex Segbefia, the former health minister, startled the court and the prosecution by declining to testify as a witness in the notorious €2.37 million ambulance saga trial that is still underway.

Although Mr. Segbefia was supposed to be the third witness, the Minority Leader, Casiel Ato Forson, made note of his absence.

Edudzi Tameklo, the lawyer representing Ato Forson, told the Judge that they would not be calling any further witnesses and were ending their case. This marked the conclusion of Dr. Ato Forson’s defense, and the second accused, Dr. Sylvester Anemana, a former chief director of the Health Ministry, was put on trial.

The Financial and Economic Court 2 defense has now been launched by Dr. Anemana.

The judge declared that the second accused would proceed with presenting their defense because the first accused had finished their case.

Regarding the witness statement submitted by Dr. Anemana, there was no objection raised by the lawyers representing the first and third accused.

State attorneys were able to cross-examine him as a result.

Dr. Anemana stated in his witness statement that after leaving the health ministry, he was moved to the Ministry of Environment and did not participate in the procedures that resulted in the acquisition of the ambulance.

He added that he left the state in September 2015, before the ambulances were bought, and that he did not think the state would lose money on a contract that had not yet come to pass.

Furthermore, Ato Forson was not the Deputy Minister of finance when he penned the contract letters for exclusive sourcing, as Dr. Anemana stated.

This was a reaction to the lawyers for Ato Forson challenging his participation in the agreement.

The first accused’s lawyers decided throughout the cross-examination that Ato Forson had no involvement in the deal, which strengthened their case.

Dr. Anemana was notified by the third accused’s lawyers that the €15.8 million used for the ambulances was actually a loan obtained from Stanbic.