We only heard of Amidu’s resignation in the media – OSP Board
The Board Chair of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Linda Ofori-Kwafo has disclosed that the former Special Prosecutor did not inform them of his decision to resign.
According to her, the Board heard of Martin Amidu’s resignation through the media.
“As you can see from the letter, which was directed to the President, the Board itself was not copied, so, the Board got to know the information or got this news just like any other person got it.
“So, we are also reading for the first time, and then, as a body, it will be good for us to meet for us to assess the situation and also look at it from the point of view of the Act, Act 959, which makes reference to the office of the special prosecutor and then we will know the way forward. A nd then, appropriately, the Board will be able to comment on all issues. Until then, it is impromptu for anyone to make any comment,” she said.
Martin Amidu turned in his resignation letter on Monday, November 16, 2020.
He cited a plethora of reasons for his resignation, key amongst them was President Akufo-Addo’s alleged interference in the discharge of his duty in relation to the corruption and anti-corruption risk assessment he did on the controversial Agyapa Royalties Transaction.
Mr. Amidu claimed the President attempted to convince him to include a response from Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta in his report, which he declined because “that would have compromised my independence as the Special Prosecutor.”
Mr. Amidu, in his corruption and anti-corruption risk assessment report on the Agyapa deal, said the Transaction Advisor(s) involved in the deal were susceptible to “nepotism, cronyism and favouritism”.
In his resignation letter addressed to the President, the Special Prosecutor further disclosed that Nana Akufo-Addo wanted him to “shelve” the report on the Agyapa deal.
But a detailed response from the Office of the President shot down the allegations put out by the former special prosecutor.
The President described the accusations leveled against him by Mr. Amidu as factually incorrect and untenable.
In a nine-page response to Mr. Amidu’s garland of accusations, the President insisted that at no point was Mr. Amidu’s hands tied not to play his role to tame corruption in public office in Ghana.
In a statement issued by the Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo, the 40-point document said ” at no point did the President ask you to shelve the report so he could “handle the matter”.
The statement added that ” it is difficult to see in what way and in what context the President would seek to “handle the matter” when the matter was already public knowledge and had led to the Ministry of Finance suspending action on the Agyapa transaction in anticipation of your report”.