Martin Amidu Approved As Special Prosecutor

Parliament has, by consensus, approved the appointment of Mr Martin Alamisi Burns Kaiser Amidu as Special Prosecutor.

The approval came after the Appointments Committee of Parliament moved the motion on the floor of Parliament to recommend to the House to approve the appointment of the nominee.

Mr Amidu's recommendation followed the satisfaction of the Appointment's Committee that the nomination of Mr Amidu by the President as Special Prosecutor was in conformity with the Office of Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).

The Committee was also persuaded that the candidate had the requisite integrity, competence, courage, determination, sense of purpose, Independence of character and a mind suitable for the position.

The Committee's report recommended, among other things, that given Mr Amidu's high standard of competence, forthrightness in answering questions, independent mindedness, selflessness, solid principles and an in-depth appreciation of the task ahead backed by his onerous experience, knowledge of the law and his promise to be above political colourization, the nominee qualified to serve as the Special Prosecutor'.

In a debate on the motion, Dr Dominic Ayine, a Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, asserted that Parliament should not be seen to be undermining the work of the court by engaging in debate and discussion that might prejudice the rights of parties in the matter that was pending before them.

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Prof. Michael Oquaye, in response, indicated that a mere filing of a writ in a court should not stop Parliament from doing its work.

The Minority leader and MP, Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu said he expected a partnership between the Special Prosecutor and the Attorney General to be able to fight corruption.

"The weight of the fight against corruption is weightier than the individual and so the Special Prosecutor must work with other institutions to curb corruption", he asserted.

It is to be noted that Dr Ayine has filed a suit in court seeking an order to have Mr Amidu's nomination annulled, on the grounds that Mr Amidu at age 66, is beyond the statutory age of employment into public service.

Source: ISD (Eva Frempon-Ntiamoah)

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