This follows an official communication of his nomination for the position by the President to Parliament earlier today [Wednesday].

[contextly_sidebar id=”gxHWDKyytQJ1I0i6vt3LQePJ9iVMCjFi”]It is however unclear when Martin Amidu will appear before the Committee to be vetted

The President entreated the House to deal with the nomination with as much dispatch as it had done with ministerial appointments.

“It is my respectful hope and expectation that the dispatch which characterized the approval of my Ministerial-nominees by Parliament last year will be extended to the consideration of Mr. Martin Amidu’s appointment,” a letter from the Pesident to the House, read by the Speaker said.

‘A masterstroke’

Amidu was named as the country’s first Special Prosecutor earlier in January by President Nana Akufo-Addo at a short ceremony in Accra.

His appointment is subject to Parliamentary approval, but it is widely expected that he will be passed by the House to take up the position.

The appointment has been hailed by experts and ordinary Ghanaians as a ‘masterstroke’ by the President, with many people commending the President for appointing a well-known member of the opposition NDC to head this crucial establishment.

Ghana’s first President in the Fourth Republic, Jerry John Rawlings also commended the appointment, describing Martin Amidu as “fearless.”

Mr. Rawlings said President Nana Akufo-Addo had “risen above partisanship and recognized a highly principled citizen.”

Ghanaians took to social media to commend the President for his selection of the ‘Citizen Vigilante’ to head the Office.

His appointment has also been described as the “most objective political appointment” in the Fourth Republic.

Amidu’s contempt for corruption and governments he felt were condoning corruption-related acts has been well publicized.

His pursuit of businessman Alfred Woyome in order to ensure the retrieval of monies wrongfully paid him by the state has attained widespread public praise.

Amidu was also an ardent critic of the NDC government, and he boldly asked Ghanaians to vote against them in the last election after he described them as corrupt.

Special Prosecutor doesn’t need MPs approval – Martin Amidu

In one of his epistles critiquing the Special Prosecutor Bill before it became law, the Former Attorney General explained that whoever is appointed as the Special Public Prosecutor will not need parliamentary approval.

He said “the Constitution has clearly delineated the type of public officers who shall be appointed by the President with the approval of Parliament. Public officers in the category of the Special Prosecutor do not fall under that category and it is unconstitutional for Parliament to partake in the unitary and exclusive appointment powers of the President.”

It is thus unclear whether he will allow himself to go through that parliamentary process, now that he has been appointed.

About Special Prosecutor office

President Akufo-Addo signed into law, the Bill setting up the Special Prosecutor office after it was approved by Parliament in November 2017.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor marks the fulfilment of a major campaign promise of Nana Akufo-Addo in the run-up to the 2016 elections aimed at fighting corruption.

But members of the opposition NDC had complained that the office cannot be independent if the Special Prosecutor was going to be a loyalist of the NPP.

The President in announcing Amidu, said he received the nomination from the Attorney General Gloria Akuffo, and has accepted the nominee, whose name will be forwarded to Parliament for approval when the House reconvenes from recess.

“The Attorney General is by a letter dated to me Thursday 11th January 2018 addressed to me exercised her power of nomination and submitted to me for my acceptance the name of the proposed special prosecutor. I have accepted the Attorney General’s nomination and will, in turn, submit for Parliament’s approval when it reconvenes on 23rd of January 2018 for its first meeting of this New Year the name of Martin Alamisi Benz Kaiser Amidu to be the first Special Prosecutor under the law,” he said.

The President noted that, Mr. Amidu has the requisite integrity and independence of character to occupy such challenging office.

“I have done so because I am fully convinced that Mr. Martin Amidu, a prominent legal personality who held the high office of the Attorney General of the Republic in the government of the late President John Evans Attah Mills has the requisite integrity, competence, courage and independence of character to discharge effectively the responsibilities of this office.”

More About Martin Amidu

Martin A. B. K. Amidu was the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice from January 2011 till January 2012 under the late President John Evans Atta-Mills.

Amidu, a member of the NDC, served as the Deputy Attorney-General for about the last four years of the Provisional National Defence Council military government.

After civilian rule was established in the Fourth Republic in January 1993, he continued to serve in the government of Jerry Rawlings as Deputy Attorney-General. This he did for both terms lasting eight years until January 2001.

In the December 2000 presidential elections, he stood as the running mate of John Atta Mills. They both however lost to President John Kufuor that year.

In January 2010, following a cabinet reshuffle, President Mills replaced Cletus Avoka with Martin Amidu as the Minister for Interior. As Amidu is a Builsa, some people raised questions as to his neutrality in dealing with the Bawku conflict. He however went successfully through vetting by the Parliament of Ghana and has since assumed his post.

Following the second major cabinet reshuffle by President Mills, Amidu became the Attorney general and Minister for Justice of Ghana.

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By: Duke Mensah Opoku & Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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In the 2014 Afrobarometer report,  64 percent of respondents in the survey conducted by Afrobarometer thought that corruption had increased.

[contextly_sidebar id=”DL1KGQd9q4uEZV5lPsH11K6iM4JZrrO7″]The Round 7 report launched by the Center for Democratic Development (CDD also said 20 percent of Ghanaians did not believe in the capability of the political system at the time, to fight corruption.

However, in the new report, most Ghanaians have expressed increased confidence in the government’s anti-corruption efforts.

“There is a rise in public confidence in government’s efforts to combat corruption in 2017, compared to 2014. This is after over a decade of decline,” the report said.

‘Name, shame and prosecute corrupt officials’

According to the research group,  64℅ of Ghanaians want the government to name, shame and prosecute officials who have misappropriated state funds.

It also stated that most Ghanaians want the government to recover funds which were pocketed by these state officials.

According to the report, successive governments had only demonstrated the eagerness to prosecute members of opposition parties who had served in past administrations, while ignoring corrupt practices perpetrated by its own members.

The report cited a number of corruption-related allegations that have come under the spotlight this year, including claims made by musician, A-Plus accusing President Akufo-Addo’s two Deputy Chiefs of Staff, Francis Asenso-Boakye, and Abu Jinapor of corruption.

“Most Ghanaians perceive some informal leaders, public and private sector officials as corrupt. The perception is worse for officials in the public sector,” the report said.

“Most Ghanaians think that governments over the years have been very swift in prosecuting and punishing corrupt officials belonging to opposition parties. nevertheless, majority believe the current government performed well in fighting corruption.”

Special Prosecutor’s Office good to go’

Parliament passed the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill after its third reading earlier in November, and will become operational in 2018.

The setting up of the office of the Special Prosecutor, was one of the key campaign promises made by President Nana Akufo-Addo ahead of his election victory in 2016, and it is aimed at tackling corruption.

When operational, the Special Prosecutor’s office will be independent of the Executive, which observers believe will allow it to adequately deal with corruption-related issues which have plagued past governments.

Concerns have been raised by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), that the Special Prosecutor will still be a tool for targeting the opposition.

NDC MP and the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Inusah Fuseini, said the Office of the Special Prosecutor was open to abuse.

“We have always had that fear. The Minority has always had the fear that this office can be used to witch-hunt political opponents,” Inusah Fuseini said to Citi News.

However, President, Nana Akufo-Addo dismissed those fears, stating that the Special Prosecutor’s Office will not be used to witch-hunt opposition party members.

He stated that the office would be independent of executive influence in order for it to function efficiently.

“We have crafted this creature who will be independent of the executive, would not have to take instructions from the Attorney General, would not have to take instruction from the President, and will decide for themselves who to prosecute and who not to prosecute.”

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By: Sixtus Dong-Ullo & Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Round 7 report launched by the Center for Democratic Development (CDD), also indicated that, most Ghanaians want the government to recover funds which were pocketed by these state officials.

[contextly_sidebar id=”gRvlhKj4cRrSLDKYXWwFsMJ8UU66fPph”]According to the report, successive governments had only demonstrated the eagerness to prosecute members of opposition parties who had served in past administrations, while ignoring corrupt practices perpetrated by its own members.

The report cited a number of corruption-related allegations that have come under the spotlight this year, including claims made by musician, A-Plus accusing President Akufo-Addo’s two Deputy Chiefs of Staff, Francis Asenso-Boakye, and Abu Jinapor of corruption.

“Most Ghanaians perceive some informal leaders, public and private sector officials as corrupt. The perception is worse for officials in the public sector,” the report said.

“Most Ghanaians think that governments over the years have been very swift in prosecuting and punishing corrupt officials belonging to opposition parties. nevertheless, majority believe the current government performed well in fighting corruption.”

‘Gov’t can deal with corruption’

In the 2014 Afrobarometer report,  64 percent of respondents thought that corruption had increased.

The report also said 20 percent of Ghanaians did not believe in the capability of the political system to fight corruption.

However, in the new report, most Ghanaians have expressed increased confidence in the government’s ability to fight corruption.

“There is a rise in public confidence in government’s efforts to combat corruption in 2017, compared to 2014. This is after over a decade of decline,” the report added.

‘Special Prosecutor’s Office good to go’

Parliament passed the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill after its third reading earlier in November, and will become operational in 2018.

The setting up of the office of the Special Prosecutor, was one of the key campaign promises made by President Nana Akufo-Addo ahead of his election victory in 2016, and it is aimed at tackling corruption.

When operational, the Special Prosecutor’s office will be independent of the Executive, which observers believe will allow it to adequately deal with corruption-related issues which have plagued past governments.

Concerns have been raised by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), that the Special Prosecutor will still be a tool for targeting the opposition.

NDC MP and the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Inusah Fuseini, said the Office of the Special Prosecutor was open to abuse.

“We have always had that fear. The Minority has always had the fear that this office can be used to witch-hunt political opponents,” Inusah Fuseini said to Citi News.

However, President, Nana Akufo-Addo dismissed those fears, stating that the Special Prosecutor’s Office will not be used to witch-hunt opposition party members.

He stated that the office would be independent of executive influence in order for it to function efficiently.

“We have crafted this creature who will be independent of the executive, would not have to take instructions from the Attorney General, would not have to take instruction from the President, and will decide for themselves who to prosecute and who not to prosecute.”

–

By: Sixtus Dong-Ullo & Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 64% of Ghanaians want Gov’t to prosecute corrupt officials – Afrobarometer appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Gloria Akufo added that, in order for this to be realized, the Office needed to be made independent of all interference from political actors and the Attorney General’s department.

[contextly_sidebar id=”uBaFqCbhNyOu6psiF1YJ3fID1sWIr2sa”]She made these remarks at the second reading stage of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill in Parliament.

“The independence of the Office of the Special Prosecutor is secured by insulating the office from the direction or control of a person or an authority in the performance of a function of the office,” she said.

“The Bill also spells out the mandate of the Office of the Special Prosecutor. This includes the investigation and prosecution of cases of alleged corruption under the Public Procurement Act, and other corruption offences implicating public officers, politically-exposed persons and individuals in the private sector implicated in the commission of the offence, and the recovery of proceeds gained from the commission of corruption-related offences in order to make corruption very unattractive in this country.”

Gloria Akuffo explained that, the Bill would grant certain powers to the Special prosecutor, mandating them to, among other things, order the seizure of properties or the freezing of accounts belonging to persons under investigation.

She added that, staff of the Office of the Special Prosecutor would also be able to invite persons of interest to any investigation for questioning.

“The Special Prosecutor is empowered to request the presence of a person or representative of an entity whose affairs are to be investigated or any other person the Office considers necessary to assist them with information relevant to the matter being investigated by the Office,” she explained.

“The Bill further specifies how the Office of the Special Prosecutor is required to deal with the proceeds of corruption. An authorized officer is empowered to seize properties reasonably suspected to be tainted with corruption or corruption-related offences.”

Anti-corruption campaigner, Martin Amidu, had earlier punched holes into the much-hyped Special Prosecutor Bill, which government intends to use as a tool to fight corruption among state officials.

In a 25-page paper critiquing aspects of the Bill, Amidu questioned the inclusion of a clause that seeks to limit the Special Prosecutor to specific crimes.

“The attempt to distinguish types of corruption offences that may be investigated and prosecuted by the Special Prosecutor sends the clear message to Ghanaians that the President and his Government now accept that certain types of corruption offences are not serious for prosecution or at least to be prosecuted by the Special Prosecutor,” he added.

Former Deputy Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine has also raised constitutional issues with the Bill, which he feels must be corrected in the interest of the country.

“One could drive a truckload of constitutional issues through the Bill,” the Bolgatanga East Member of Parliament said.

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By: Duke Mensah Opoku & Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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He argues that, the proposal, which includes donations from external bodies, is a potential ground for corruption, which the office seeks to fight.

[contextly_sidebar id=”QWsLTmz7l4uN391TUp7cDRXwRw1bkW22″]The Bill to establish the office, which is currently in Parliament for consideration, lists donations and grants as sources of funding.

Kofi Bentil, who was speaking at a media training dialogue on the Bill under the auspices of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition in Accra on Friday, suggested that the Consolidated Funds could be used to fund the Office.

“Take out donations and grants. It is a window for corruption. Why can we not fund this office with the Consolidated Fund? Leave no room for anyone to make a donation…. Some of these drug dealers plan 10 years ahead. They will start taking care of you, building houses for you, buying you cars, giving you foreign trips, paying your kids’ school fees 10 years ahead before they get into trouble. And when they get into trouble and you see that it is him who has been giving you these things for the past 10 years, you would not be able to take action against him,” he said.

Kofi Bentil added that, the Office of the Special Prosecutor cannot be truly functional without some constitutional amendments.

Meanwhile, the report of Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, on the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill, which was expected to be laid in parliament today [Friday], has been postponed to Tuesday.

This follows the Committee’s conclusion of consultations with various stakeholders concerned with the Bill.

The objective of the Bill is to establish a specialized agency to investigate specific cases of corruption involving public officers, as well as individuals in the private sector implicated in corrupt acts.

By: Sixtus Dong-Ullo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Governor Kashim Shettima said he had passed reports of the sightings of the girls to the military for verification.

Mr Shettima added that he did not think the girls had been taken across the border to Chad or Cameroon.

Earlier, France’s president offered to host a summit on Boko Haram.

“I suggested, with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, a meeting of Nigeria’s neighbouring countries” Francois Hollande said.

“If the countries agree, it should take place next Saturday” he added.

Countries neighbouring Nigeria, such as Cameroon, Niger and Chad, would be invited to the security summit.

Aides said the US, UK and EU would also be likely to attend.

The US, UK and France have already pledged technical assistance to the Nigerian government.

Meanwhile, President Jonathan said an Israeli counter-terrorism team would arrive in Nigeria to help in searching for the schoolgirls, who were abducted last month.

‘Slaves’

French troops entered Mali last year to push out al-Qaeda affiliated militants.

Both the US and UK distanced themselves from suggestions that they would send soldiers to take part in the military operation in the vast north of Nigeria.

“There’s no intention at this point to be putting any American boots on the ground” said US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel on Sunday.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron said it was unlikely Nigeria would ask for British troops to help, but he added: “I said to President Jonathan where we can help, please ask, and we will see what we can do.”

“I rang the Nigerian president to offer anything that would be helpful and we agreed to send out a team that includes some counter-terrorism and intelligence experts to work alongside the bigger American team that’s going out there.”

Mr Cameron later tweeted his support for a hashtag aimed at raising awareness of the abductions.

The US First Lady Michelle Obama has described herself and President Barack Obama as being “outraged and heartbroken” over the girls’ abduction.

Speaking instead of her husband in the weekly presidential address, she said: “What happened in Nigeria was not an isolated incident. It’s a story we see every day as girls around the world risk their lives to pursue their ambitions.”

Boko Haram has admitted capturing the girls, saying they should never have been in school and should get married instead. The group has also threatened to sell the girls as “slaves”.

Boko Haram has been engaged in a violent campaign against the Nigerian government since 2009.

It is thought the majority of the girls are Christians, although a number of Muslims are among those who were taken.

Chibok, from where they were abducted, is a small community where families are made up of members of both faiths.

Credit: BBC

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