Parliament approves Martin Amidu as Special Prosecutor

Parliament has approved Mr Martin Amidu as the country’s first Special Prosecutor.

The Deputy Minority Ranking Member on Constitutional Affairs, Dr. Dominic Ayine, however asked Parliament to put the approval on hold, as his suit against Mr. Amidu’s nomination is still pending at the Supreme Court.

Drawing on Standing order 93(1), Dr. Ayine invited the Speaker of Parliament to rule on whether the House’s intention to approve the nominee will not be wrong pending the Supreme Court case.

But the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, ruled against Dr. Ayine’s argument thus making way for Amidu’s approval.

Mr. Amidu was vetted by Parliament’s Appointments Committee last Tuesday, February 13.

Background

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo nominated Mr Amidu known as Citizen Vigilante for his anti-corruption crusade as the Special Prosecutor.

The appointment of Mr Amidu was a shock to many as he was a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), although he had been critical of his party in government.

The President communicated the appointment of Mr Amidu to Parliament and the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, consequently referred the appointment to the ACP for consideration.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor is a specialised agency which is to investigate specific cases of corruption involving public officers, politically exposed persons and persons in the private sector involved in the commission of corruption, and to prosecute the offences on the authority of the Attorney-General.

The establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor is one of the key campaign promises of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Court case

A day before the vetting, a former Deputy Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, filed a suit at the Supreme Court claiming that Mr Amidu, 66, was beyond the statutory age of employment into public service and was seeking an order of the court to have his nomination annulled.

In a statement of case, Dr Ayine is praying the court to declare that "by true and proper interpretation of Articles 190(1) (d) and 199 (4) of the 1992 Constitution, no person above the age of 65 years is eligible for employment in any public office created under Article 190(1) (d)."