I Can’t Arrest Any Corrupt Official This Year – Martin Amidu

Speaking at the National Audit Forum organized by the Ghana Audit Service on 26th September 2018, the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu said his office lacks the resources to deliver and vowed not to arrest any corrupt official in an Election Year.

He said “The law says I can coordinate with other organizations so I coordinate with the Auditor General, I coordinate with EOCO, I coordinate with other anti-corruption agencies to find a way by which we can begin to work towards the ultimate end. I have warned that if most of these things are not done by the middle of this year then this office may not be able to be seen to be doing its mandate, because by middle next year (2020) we are in an election year. If I arrest someone, you will turn out and look at it; which party does he hold the insurance card for?”

This statement from the Special Prosecutor is becoming reality as NDC’s flag bearer John Dramani Mahama has said Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu’s hands have been tied by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government and, so, he cannot go after any government official or member of the governing New Patriotic Party for alleged corruption.

Addressing supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Dzodze, as part of his four-day tour of the Volta Region, Mr. Mahama said the situation has emasculated Mr. Amidu and rendered his office ineffective.

“There are cases at the office of the Special Prosecutor but they have tied his hand”, Mr. Mahama said, adding: “He can’t investigate them, they have stopped him”.

“As long as he [the offender] is an NPP person, he [Martin Amidu] can’t do anything”, the flag bearer of the biggest opposition party said.

Mr. Mahama, however, assured Ghanaians that his next government, should he win the December polls, will not relent in its fight against, as the new NDC government will investigate all outstanding corruption cases.

“When NDC comes to power, we will investigate all outstanding corruption cases and we are not going to prosecute only our opponent, we will caution our ministers and everybody because if you indulge in corruption, we won’t wait for another government to prosecute, we will prosecute you ourselves”, he noted.

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, presented him the instrument of appointment after he took the Official Oath and the Oath of Secrecy at a short ceremony at the Flagstaff House in Accra. It will be recalled that on January 2, 2018, President Akufo-Addo assented to the enactment of the Office of Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).

Pursuant thereto, the Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo, in compliance with the provision of Section 13 Clause 3 of the Act, on January 11, 2018, exercised her power of nomination and submitted to President Akufo-Addo for his acceptance, Martin Amidu, as the proposed Special Prosecutor.

On the same day, President Akufo-Adoo accepted the nomination of Mr. Amidu as Special Prosecutor and, in turn, submitted it to Parliament for parliamentary approval after he had announced it to the people of Ghana.

–Bryt FM