After discussions between him and President Akufo-Addo, he came to the conclusion that the fundamental purpose of the Special Prosecutor’s office to eradicate corruption has not been compromised.

[contextly_sidebar id=”NxV5VnGBD3EIfAd0USEAbnsKKnaEQroQ”]In a 2017 article, Mr. Amidu raised concerns with the Special Prosecutor Bill, which was later passed into law to become Act 959.

Among other things, he cited the inclusion of a clause that he said sought to limit the Special Prosecutor to specific crimes, the equation of the office to the judiciary, and the appointment of the office’s staff by the President.

He also notably argued that whoever was appointed as the Special Prosecutor did not need parliamentary approval.

Mr. Amidu’s critique led to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) criticizing him for what it called the neglect of his own principles by accepting the nomination.

But responding to questions on his 25-page critique of the office during his vetting today [Tuesday], he recounted that, President Akufo-Addo said to him:  “You don’t throw the baby out with the bath water, that meant that, in spite of what I said, once the Supreme Court hasn’t made a ruling on it [the Special Prosecutor Bill], and the law had been passed, and he wanted me to be his nominee, it meant I had to subject myself to the approval of Parliament and once I had nothing to hide, I said no problem.”

He added that, he came to understand that “it is better to fight the canker ourselves in a democratic regime than to allow it to fester and some opportunists will use it as an excuse as has been used in the past.”

Aside from this, Mr. Amidu said that, “most of his critique [of the Special Prosecutor Bill] have been taken care of.”

“As far as I am concerned, the law in its current form is doable, and as I wrote in my critique, what the president was suggesting was doable and as long as it is doable, I go with it,” he added.

Amidu touts integrity

Mr. Amidu’s vetting has been marked by him asserting his competence for the Special Prosecutor job.

He said his acceptance of the nomination was not about attaining any high status, but about continuing his mission to rid Ghana of corruption.

He also said he was more preoccupied with setting an example for Ghanaians with his integrity than collecting awards.

Mr. Amidu said his firm stance against corruption makes him best man for the job, but the Appointments Committee could disqualify him if they wanted “somebody who will look the other way.”

Mr. Amidu’s nomination as the Special Prosecutor was met with widespread acclaim from all sections of society.

He earned himself the moniker ‘Citizen Vigilante’ for his no-nonsense stance and campaign against corruption, particularly in the NDC administration.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Martin Amidu defends SP job despite criticizing the law appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

“We have always had that fear. The Minority has always had the fear that this office can be used to witch-hunt political opponents,” the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Inusah Fuseini said to Citi News.

[contextly_sidebar id=”8rirW5fikPYcHs5VMGpdbpX94U0eCflW”]Speaking after the Bill was passed, Mr. Fuseini said the Special Prosecutor position was open to abuse like any other political appointment because, ultimately, the President is going to appoint the Special Prosecutor.

“I am not saying that it is not a political setup by the NPP for the purpose of the NPP. I am saying that it is a political office, established in pursuant of a political promise. It now becomes an institution of State because it is a political office and set up in pursuant to the Manifesto of the NPP, it can be abused,” he asserted.

“The Special prosecutor must not only look backward. It must also look to the present and future. It is not only the Minority that is concerned. Many people are concerned. History shows clearly that when the powers of such an office is not circumscribed in such a way that it respects the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals, it can be abused.”

Though not directly related, the Akufo-Addo administration has indicated that it is building cases against officials in the Mahama administration who have been found to have wasted the public funds with impunity.

Deputy Attorney General, Joseph Kpemka, said on a Citi News platform that NDC officials who dared the New Patriotic Party government to prosecute suspected corrupt officials will soon be put before the court for their involvement in various scandals.

The setting up of the office of the Special Prosecutor was one of the key campaign promises made by President Nana Akufo-Addo.

The Special Prosecutor’s office will be independent of the Executive, and the newly passed Bill is expected to, among other things, define the modalities for the appointment and operations of the Special Prosecutor.

The office of the Special Prosecutor will have the mandate to investigate and prosecute cases of alleged corruption under the Public Procurement Act and other corruption-related offenses implicating public officers, political office holders and their accomplices in the public sector.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Special Prosecutor’s office open to abuse – Inusah Fuseini appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He said although there is a general expectation that the committee speeds up its work on the bill, it is minded to work diligently in the interest of the state.

[contextly_sidebar id=”dwXbsJ99faa5UazZaL4EPTTWZAYb3p6i”]“The committee will finalize its work on the Office of Special Prosecutor Bill before Parliament resumes on 3^rd October or 4^th. Yes, everything has to be hurried but diligence work will have to be done and the committee will meet the deadline.”

“The committee has made a timetable and the committee will do the stakeholder consultation before Parliament resumes,” he said on Eyewitness News on Wednesday.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor is to enable the government deal with issues of corruption, especially among state officials.

Under the Bill, an independent prosecutor will head the office and prosecute corruption offenses by state officers.

It was one of the major promises made by President Akufo-Addo as part of his plans to deal with corruption in government.

The Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee of Parliament says one of its major tasks is to receive inputs to the Bill from the general public before presenting the draft to the plenary.

But before it completes its work, former Attorney General, Martin Amidu has been one of the few vociferous who has criticized parts of the Bill, suggesting that it defeats the essence of the creation of the office.

Martin Amidu, in what he described as a critique of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Billquestioned why there’s a clause that seeks to limit the Special Prosecutor to specific crimes.

Martin Amidu noted that the success of the office would be largely dependent on the integrity of the President to ensure the office works without any interference and gets the necessary resources to deliver on its mandate without fear or favour.

But reacting to the issues raised by Martin Amidu, Ben Abdallah said although the powers of the Special Prosecutor must not be limited, he believes that the Office of the Special Prosecutor must not be compelled to chase every act of corruption but be guided by the quantum of the acts of corruption.

“Every corruption is corruption, but if we don’t circumscribe the jurisdiction of the office of the Special Prosecutor with the respect to kinds of corruption that the Special Prosecutor can deal with, we may have a situation where the special Prosecutor is compelled to deal with any kind of corruption at all no matter the quantum of the money allegedly embezzled, ” Ben Abdallah said.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Special Prosecutor Bill to be ready by October 4 – C’ttee appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.