Special Prosecutor nominee, Mr. Martin ABK Amidu, will today, Tuesday, 13 February 2018, be vetted by Parliament’s Appointment Committee.
Mr Amidu was recommended for nomination by Attorney General Gloria Akuffo and President Akufo-Addo subsequently accepted the recommendation and nominated him as the first-ever Special Prosecutor.
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Mr Amidu will carry out the extraordinary responsibility of independently prosecuting corrupt public and private officials who may have plundered the state’s resources or may be doing so in the future.
His nomination is however subject to a parliamentary approval, an exercise which is expected to prolong following a notice served by the Minority in parliament to in that regard.
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But even before the nation could brace itself up for that long-awaited paliamentary duty, opposition Member of Parliament for Bolga East, Dr Dominic Ayine has filed a suit at the Supreme Court against Mr Amidu’s nomination.
Mr. Ayine wants the apex court of the land to annul the appointment because “…by reason of his age, (66 years), Mr. Martin Alamisi Burns Kaiser Amidu is not qualified or eligible to be approved by Parliament as the Special Prosecutor under Section 13(3) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2018 (Act 959).”
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But First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Osei Owusu, has a contrary view as in his estimation, the age of Mr. Amidu cannot disqualify him from becoming the Special Prosecutor.
“This one is a specific contract and you are recruited for a specific term and it doesn’t matter your age. The president knew and considered his age…of course nobody can tell where sickness or death will come from…but so long as he has strength and the proper state of mind, he has the seven years to serve”, Mr. Owusu stated.
Mr. Amidu, has earned the nickname ‘Citizen Vigilante’ for his no-nonsense stance and campaign against corruption particularly during the erstwhile NDC regime.
