BY Issah Olegor
President John Dramani Mahama has appointed Dr. Abdul-Baasit Aziz-Bamba, the lawyer who represented Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson in the controversial ambulance trial, as Acting Director-General of the newly established Value for Money Office.
The appointment has immediately created a potentially contentious political narrative because Dr Bamba was a prominent member of the legal team that defended Ato Forson during the high-profile ambulance procurement scandal, while the new institution itself was established through legislation introduced to Parliament by Ato Forson in his capacity as Finance Minister.
According to the Presidency, Dr Bamba’s appointment was made pursuant to Article 195(1) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 14(1) of the Value for Money Office Act, 2026 (Act 1172). He will serve in an acting capacity pending the constitutionally required advice of the Governing Board, in consultation with the Public Services Commission.
The appointment is therefore likely to attract political scrutiny, particularly because of the professional relationship between the appointee and the Finance Minister whose ministry spearheaded the establishment of the new office.
From Courtroom Defence To Public Spending Oversight
Dr Bamba is a Harvard-trained lawyer and, before his appointment, served as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Law.
His public profile rose considerably during the ambulance trial, where he served as lead counsel for Ato Forson, who was the first accused person in the case. He was also a member of President Mahama legal team during the 2012 presidential election petition.
The prosecution had accused Ato Forson and businessman Richard Jakpa of offences relating to the procurement of ambulances, including allegations that the transactions caused financial loss of €2.37 million to the Republic.
Dr Bamba played a central role in the defence, cross-examining prosecution witnesses and filing several applications challenging aspects of the proceedings. Contemporary reports from the trial identify him as Ato Forson’s lead counsel.
Among the witnesses he cross-examined was Richard Jakpa, whose evidence became one of the most closely followed aspects of the proceedings.
During that cross-examination, Jakpa made allegations concerning his interactions with then Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame. Those allegations were contested and formed part of a wider legal controversy surrounding the trial.
His role in the trial consequently placed him at the centre of one of the most politically charged criminal proceedings of the period.
Ato Forson’s Legislative Legacy Now at the Centre
The new appointment becomes particularly interesting because the office Dr Bamba is now being asked to lead was not simply an existing institution into which he has been transferred.
The Value for Money Office was created through the Value for Money Office Act, 2026, legislation championed by Finance Minister Ato Forson as part of the government’s effort to strengthen scrutiny of public expenditure.
Forson laid the Value for Money Office Bill before Parliament in February 2026, describing it as a response to persistent problems including inflated government contracts, abandoned projects, cost overruns and wasteful expenditure.
Parliament subsequently passed the legislation, and President Mahama assented to the Bill on May 11, 2026, bringing the new statutory framework into effect.
The government has said the institution is intended to ensure that public spending produces measurable benefits and that major government contracts, particularly single-source procurements, receive stronger scrutiny.
Ato Forson himself said the office would be responsible for ensuring value for money in public expenditure and projected that the institution could help reduce waste and create fiscal space for national development.
What Exactly Will the New Office Do?
The Value for Money Office has been given a broad mandate.
Among other responsibilities, the institution is expected to conduct value-for-money assessments of public-sector projects, develop standards and evaluation tools, provide technical clearance for capital expenditure, benchmark costs and prices, monitor compliance and undertake assessments after contracts have been awarded or projects completed.
The office is also expected to issue mandatory Value for Money Certificates before certain major contracts are awarded.
The idea is to shift government oversight beyond simply asking whether procurement procedures were followed to examining whether taxpayers are actually receiving reasonable value for the money being spent.
The government has argued that the office will complement existing institutions such as the Public Procurement Authority and the Auditor-General rather than duplicate their functions.
Why the Appointment Is Likely to Trigger Debate
The controversy surrounding Dr Bamba’s appointment is unlikely to centre solely on his legal qualifications.
At issue will also be the perception created by his previous role as counsel for the Finance Minister whose administration championed the legislation establishing the institution.
Critics could question whether the appointment creates an appearance of political or professional proximity, particularly given that the Value for Money Office is expected to scrutinise government expenditure and contracts.
