The Special Prosecutor (SP), Martin A. B. K. Amidu, has sent a very reassuring note the public, especially, the Ghanaian electorate, promising them that he will never betray them as he is working assiduously to justify the confidence reposed in the setting up of his office to prosecute suspected corruption offences and related matters.
He said no amount of bi-partisan pressure will influence him to walk away from his job, stressing that the lip services are over and it is time for real action.
“The fight against suspected corruption has to be engaged in whole heartedly by every citizen and with total commitment as enjoined by the Constitution. This is the time to move from lip service to real action in the fight against corruption subject only to the due process of the law”, he noted.
He added “The Special Prosecutor wishes to assure the Ghanaian public whose votes actualizes the Office that he is not going to betray them and walk away from this job to satisfy any bi-partisan pressure”.
He made this observation in a statement released in Accra, Thursday, a copy of which has been sighted by kasapafmonline.com.
The statement is in response to a comment made by the Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, in which he told an Accra-based local radio station, Okay FM, that Parliament through the Special Prosecutor has received a tall list of Parliamentarians, both NDC and NPP members who will be facing possible prosecution by the SP for various offences.
The Office of the SP in the statement denied submitting any tall list of MPs from both NDC and NPP to the Leadership of Parliament as list of Members who will face possible prosecution by the SP for various offences.
He said so far only nine cases involving MPs are under investigation. Out of the nine, one in the case of the Republic vs Mahama Ayariga and one other, is currently before the court for prosecution.
Even with the Mahama Ayariga’s case, there has been back and forth argument over the immunities enjoyed by MPs with the Speaker issuing Certificates to the trial court to call the case on days Parliament does not sit.
However, the SP and his Office, think otherwise, informing the Leadership of Parliament during their engagement that no provisions of the Constitution referred to by the Rt. Hon. Speaker in his invitation letter and submission at the meeting and to the court were applicable to MPs charged as accused persons for the crimes of corruption and put before a court of competent jurisdiction for trial.
The determination of the days on which the trial criminal court will conduct the trial was entirely for the court to decide and not for the SP to compromise in a private meeting with the Leadership of Parliament.
In a show of power vested in him by the appointing authority, Mr. Amidu said the solution to gaining exception for MPs from investigation and possible prosecution for suspected corruption offences is to “get the first Special Prosecutor out of office in a bi-partisan manner by impeachment or to allow the appropriate independent constitutional institution to do so”.
“It will not work to allege a bi-partisan tall list for possible prosecution of Parliamentarians when no such a tall list exists or has been submitted by the Special Prosuctor’s Office to any office: it only enables the creation of an artificial bi-partisan smoke screen for purposes of unduly delaying or running away from justice for a category of suspects accused of the commission of corruption offences”, he added.
