Akufo-Addo runs Ghana on autopilot

General news for Monday, November 30, 2020

Source: John Baiden, Contributor

2020-11-30

Former special counsel Martin Amidu has harshly criticized the Akufo-Addo presidency for its ‘lazy untruths’ in the president’s letter in response to his resignation from his post as special counsel following his disagreement with the presidency over the risk of Corruption of the assessment of the Agyapa Gold Royalty Transactions.

In a searing attack on the president and his secretary, Mr. Amidu described the presidency as lazy and was unable to read and understand the full 64-page report it issued on Agyapa’s royalty transactions; a situation that should have prompted them to respond appropriately.

In his reaction, Mr. Amidu stated: “The President’s response creates the shameful impression that neither the President who ordered and instructed you to write the letter in question nor you as his Secretary have read Agyapa’s full report from sixty-four (64) pages. in order to understand that it contains very serious suspicions of corruption and crimes related to corruption for which he intended to open full investigations. Had the president and you had time to read the full anti-corruption assessment report of Agyapa’s royalty transaction, you would not have relied on the conclusions and observations like lazy attorneys based on the facts and arguing in a legal report published for make false character and frivolous assassination attacks on my integrity for cheap political points. I shudder to think of the impression that is being created in the national and international community that this beloved country of ours, Ghana, is now running on automatic pilot. “

This latest episode seems to unearth a lot of issues that lurk in Amidu’s heart that will lead to more explosive altercations in the very near future because the president’s reaction to his resignation is obviously unjustified and unpleasant to him. He is also furious that the president tried to blame him on unrelated issues as stated reasons for his resignation from office.

Regarding the ‘false claim’ of non-payment of wages, the former SP commented: “The president’s directives that give the impression that I resigned due to non-payment of wages are clearly false when reading my resignation letter. The additional directive from the president that I could have paid the salary of my deputy and myself with the funds provided to my Office for employee compensation is evidently false because the letters of appointment issued by the president to the two under his signature they were addressed to each one. from us personally at our private addresses and with a copy to (i) the vice president, (ii) the chief of staff, (ii) the assistance. Cont. & Acct-Gen Accounts, Castle, Osu, and (iv) the Chief Internal Auditor, Castle, Osu. The Office of the Special Prosecutor was never copied or instructed to pay compensation from the Special Prosecutor and the Deputy Special Prosecutor and had no authority to do so in terms of the letters of appointment under his signature.

Amidu’s forceful response could best be described as one that questions the legal aptitude of the president, who is touted as a canny attorney. In his view, the president and the people around him exhibited the character of lazy lawyers who are afraid to read full legal reports and therefore rely on facts and arguments to defend their case without bothering to read the full report to understand the reasoning that forms the basis of holdings.

He also accused the president of fraudulently sealing the voluminous documents that were sent to him in just 24 hours because he was already informed of the frog there for the mother snake to swallow it.