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Nomination at instance of Attorney-General
By John Eche
A senior opposition lawyer in Ghana and former Attorney-General in the John Atta Mills administration, Mr. Martin Amidu has been named as Ghana’s pioneering Special Prosecutor-designate by President Nana Akufo-Addo.
The nomiination is at the instance of serving Attorney-General, Mrs Sophia Akufo.
The Special Prosecutor’s office, a new initiative that would headline Ghana’s anti-corruption battle, was a key campaign promise made by Akufo-Addo during his campaign for office.
It is structured to be independent of the Executive, have the mandate to investigate and prosecute cases of alleged corruption under the Public Procurement Act 203 Act 63 and other corruption-related offenses implicating public officers, political office holders and their accomplices in the public sector; and trace and recover the proceeds of corruption.
Remarked the President on the choice of Amidu:
“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.”
Analysts say that unlike the vogue in several other African countries where accused persons are herded into detention, while the government of the day fishes for evidence to nail them, it is most commendable that the one-year old Akufo-Addo administration had preferred to go through the whole hog of initiating constitutional and judicial reforms that its own anti-corruption war would be hinged on, and painstakingly passing same through parliament.
They also note that the choice of a card -carrying and ranking member of the opposition to fill the position would help assuage concerns of likely partiality and witch-hunt which could detract from the ranking, accptability and effectiveness of the new office.
Former President, John Jerry Rawlings for one has already endorsed the nomination of Amidu who is popularly known in Ghana as ‘Citizen Vigilante’ on account of his fearless and dogged attitude to matters of the law and justice.
Amidu’s nomination would be formally presented to parliament upon the resumption of the members of the legislative chambers from recess.
President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana
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