Martin Amidu resigns as Special Prosecutor

General news for Monday, November 16, 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

2020-11-16

GhanaWeb may report that Martin Amidu has resigned from his position as Special Prosecutor.

According to Mr. Amidu, he resigns because he does not believe that President Nana Akufo-Addo has done enough to safeguard the independence of his office.

He said: “The events of 11/12/20 removed the only protection I had from the threats and plans directed at me to conduct the anti-corruption assessment report of Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions and dictates that I resign as Special Counsel immediately.”

In a letter to Nana Akufo-Addo, Amidu tasked the president with finding a suitable replacement for him.

“The only condition under which I agreed to be appointed Special Prosecutor when you invited me to your office on January 10, 2018 was your firm promise that you will respect and guarantee it by your Government for my independence and freedom of action as the Special Prosecutor ”, he affirmed.

Amidu was nominated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as Special Prosecutor on January 11, 2018, and was subsequently approved by Parliament.

President Akufo-Addo, at the inauguration of Martin Amidu, stated that “we expect the Special Prosecutor to carry out his duties with vigor and courage, without fear or favor, ill will or malice in accordance with the rule of law.”

His appointment was met with great enthusiasm due to his obvious loathing for corruption.

His strict and firm personality was expected to be exactly what the country needed to combat alleged corrupt practices and abuse of power.

But for nearly three years in the job, Amidu has been under intense pressure in what many believe has been a disappointing performance.

Amidu has always maintained that he has not lost his penchant for going after corrupt officials, but people in high positions frustrated his work.

In 2018, he complained about how some critical ministries and agencies had refused to produce public records on demand to assist the office in critical investigations into corruption issues in the Akufo-Addo government.

He made the disclosure at the National Audit Forum hosted by the Ghana Audit Service. Martin Amidu added that his office had “insufficient resources”, which contributed to his inability to work effectively.

“You ask for information that you cannot get; request file; the file cannot be presented. He asks a minister for a record; registration cannot occur. How do you fight corruption when those appointed by the president who have a vision do not coordinate with the special prosecutor’s office to fulfill their mandate? That is the challenge we have to face ”.

Earlier today, investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, whose work led to the president’s removal of the head of the PPA, told Francis Abban on the Morning Starr that the special counsel must be bold and step down to draw attention to the office problems. .

“My surprise is why Martin Amidu has not resigned. Because you keep giving one reason to the other, if all of this continues and has no solution, it is best to resign so that you can pay attention to the challenges in that office.

“You have someone in charge and for 3 years the only job they have done is dealing with Agyapa. So if there are challenges that are not being solved, the best for him. [Martin Amidu] is to resign ”.