Noisy Martin Alamisi Amidu, Ghana’s foremost anti-corruption crusader, who, though capitulates under the least duress, has once again surrendered to an exposé by The aL-hAJJ, and for the first time, admitted to misconducting himself before late President John Evans Atta Mills on January 13, 2012 as contained in an official press statement signed by the then Chief of Staff, Henry Martey Newman.
Following his dismissal from the Mills government on January 19, 2012 as Attorney General, Martin Amidu, until last week, Thursday, had challenged and denied government’s position that he was dismissed for gross misconduct.
He stunned the nation and indeed, the world, few weeks ago when he alleged that he was fired because he counseled the late President to persuade his predecessor Attorney General, Madam Betty Mould Iddrisu to be used as prosecution witness in the criminal trial of Woyome.
“I had made it clear to the Mills/Mahama Government as its Attorney General that no prosecution in the scam involving the over GH₵51million will succeed by targeting Woyome alone without Waterville, Austro-Invest, Samuel Nerquaye-Tetteh, the Chief State Attorney whose spouse EOCO reveal had received GH₵400,000 from Woyome while he was handling the case as an Attorney for the Government, and others.
I had suggested that Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu should be persuaded to be a prosecution witness in lieu of prosecution. The Government disagreed, so I was removed from office…”
In a recent reaction to comments by former National Security Coordinator in the Mills government, Larry Gbevlo Lartey, who disputed Mr Amidu’s claim, the former AG, who calls himself ‘Citizen Vigilante’ stated:
“I made a press statement about Ministers of State involved in gargantuan crimes. I also advised the President of my intention as the Attorney General to prosecute Woyome along with all his accomplices and to persuade the then Attorney General to be a witness or be prosecuted. I am then invited by a Member of the Council of State (incidentally Betty Mould-Iddrisu’s husband) at the behest of the President and told to withdraw my press statement accusing members of the Government and its card bearing members who use the NDC as an insurance against prosecutions for crime… . “The next day the President, true to his demand through Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama, purports to dismiss me with immediate effect. Am I, therefore, wrong to contend that I was removed from office to prevent me from prosecuting the offending NDC Ministers and party members that raped the nation?” he asked rhetorically.
But following an exposé by this paper in its issue of March 24, 2015 that, Martin Amidu was sacked by the late President Mills because at a January 13, 2012 meeting at the Osu Castle, he (Amidu) yelled at the late President when he was threatened with dismissal should he fail to mention names of NDC ministers he alleged were complicit in the Woyome affair “…You can take your job, I don't care, I am a Ghanaian, you can't take away my Ghanaian citizenship... I am a Ghanaian; I don’t need you or your job to survive…,” Amidu was reported to have retorted.
The paper also stated that though Mr Amidu was initially unyielding and won’t budge to admonitions from high level government officials present, he subsequently apologized to the late president, hoping to keep his job but was nevertheless, dismissed.
However, the former AG, who on Adom Fm dared The aL-hAJJ or the government to publish the ‘supposed’ apology letter, buckled when the letter was eventually published by the paper on April 2, 2012.
Following the publication of Mr. Amidu’s apology in which he admitted being insolent to the late Mills, many are wondering which responsible President worth his sort would allow such a minister, and for that matter an appointee, get away with such impudence.
With this understanding, it is abundantly clear that Martin Amidu was not dismissed from office because of his suggestion to President Mills that Betty Mould should be persuaded to be used as prosecution witness, as he wants the world to believe.
Strangely, three years down the line, and having been quiet on the remorse and apology for his conduct, Mr. Amidu last week stated that, he apologized to the late President Mills, not on his own volition, but was coerced by two elder statesmen, and he wants the world to believe him?
Contrary to his (Martin Amidu’s) claim that he was compelled by late Council of State Chairman, Prof Kofi Awoonor and NDC capo, Captain Kojo Tsikata (Rtd) to write the apology letter to the late President Mills, The aL-hAJJ can today confirm that indeed, the former Attorney General on his own volition begged the late President three times with hopes of keeping his job.
Available information pieced together by this paper and confirmed by some senior government officials privy to events leading to Martin Amdiu’s dismissal, and indeed validated by the former AG himself, indicate that, before writing his January 18, 2012 apology letter, ‘Citizen Vigilante’ rendered a verbal apology to the late President Mills in his office at the Osu Castle long before the written apology.
In order to demonstrate he was highly and sincerely remorseful following his unruly behavior, and also, believing the late President Mills will temper Justice with mercy by retaining him in his government, The aL-hAJJ has gathered that, Martin Amidu, subsequently wrote the formal apology letter to Mills on the 18th of January 2012 expressing utmost regret at his misconduct, claiming it was unintended.
Our findings revealed that, Mr. Martin Amidu, still not satisfied with the verbal and written apologies he had rendered to president Mills, and at the same time, desperate to keep his job, pleaded with the then Chairman of Council of State, the late Prof Kofi Awoonor and Captain Kojo Tsikata to approach President Mills and plead on his behalf.
Indeed, the former AG’s own apology letter, which has been kept under wraps until it was unveiled by The aL-hAJJ, confirmed the ‘verbal apology’ he rendered to former President Mills after he reportedly raised his voice at the late President in the presence of some privileged high-ranking government officials.
The first paragraph of Mr Amidu’s January 18, 2012 apology letter reads, “I write to reiterate the VERBAL APOLOGY I rendered to Your Excellency and to again formally render my unqualified apology for my emotional reaction to Your Excellency and others present at my interaction with you on Friday, 13th January, 2012.”
To reinforce his verbal admission of guilt and plea, and his written apology of January 18, 2012, Martin Amidu also added, “As it is customary, I have solicited the Chairman of the Council of State, and Capt. Kojo Tsikata (Rtd), as elders, to be kind enough to REITERATE MY APOLOGY to you on my behalf.”
Earlier Denial
Until The aL-hAJJ’s publication of Thursday, April 2, 2015, which also carried Amidu’s apology letter, the former AG sought to deny an earlier revelations by former National Security Coordinator, Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, that his rendition of what led to his sacking was half-truth.
At a meeting called on the behest of late Mills, intended to give Martin Amidu the opportunity to substantiate allegations he had earlier made that some officials of the Mills government were complicit in the Woyome scandal and, to the utter shock of the late President and some senior government officials present, Mr. Martin Amidu rudely referred the late President to read a memo he had earlier submitted to him, insisting that the late President will find the names of the said government officials in it.
When the late president insisted he mention the names or face dismissal, the former AG flared-up, threw all caution to the wind and told the president in the face “…You can take your job, I don't care, I am a Ghanaian, you can't take away my Ghanaian citizenship... I am a Ghanaian; I don’t need you or your job to survive…”
He was subsequently sacked by President Mills for gross misconduct and insubordination, however, three years after his dismissal, Martin Amidu, while commenting on the recent High Court judgment that acquitted and discharged Alfred Agbesi Woyome, gave another version why he was sacked from government.
According to him, he was sacked because he advised the late President to persuade former Attorney General, Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu, to be used a prosecution witness in the criminal trial of the 51 million judgment debt that was paid business magnate, Alfred Agbesi Woyome.
When The aL-hAJJ in a March 24, 2015 publication corroborated Gbevlo-Lartey’s statement that the former AG’s rendition of circumstances that led to his sack was half-truth and that he misconducted himself of which he later wrote a letter to apologize, Martin Amidu dared this paper and government to publish the said letter.
When called on an Accra based Adom FM, Mr Amidu initially declined to comment on the publication, nonetheless, he later sent out this terse message to be read on the radio station “Why not publish my so-called letter of apology for everyone to see. Bature has never been a government appointee…so why would I respond to what he claims happened with the president. The government should publish everything so I can reply for the public to determine the truth.
“…Bature is not someone I have even taken seriously…I deal with respected people. Kindly tell the public of this response.”
Beating Retreat
Although Mr Amidu has never admitted raising his voice at the President let alone to have apologized, he subtly acquiesced to doing that after The aL-hAJJ published his so-called apology letter.
Commenting on his apology letter, the former AG said, he was persuaded by former Council of State Chairman, late Prof Kofi Awoonor and Captain Kojo Tsikata to write the apology to the late President Mills over his outburst.
He also admitted to earlier rendering a verbal apology to the late president, although until this paper published the apology letter, he rejected claims that he apologized for his unruly behavior.
The former AG stated on an Accra based Citi fm that “That letter was written because two senior elders I have worked with from PNDC to NDC all through asked me to give them that letter to be sent to the President.”
The Inconsistency
In a recent response to former Security Coordinator, Martin Amidu stated that on January 18, 2012, late President Mills delegated the Council of state member, Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama to demand that he withdraws a January 12, 2012 press statement alleging government official’s complicity in the Woyome scandal or be dismissed, but he refused to yield to the President’s demand.
“Was Gbevlo-Lartey consulted when the President delegated the then Member of the Council of State and my senior brother, Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama on 18th January 2012 who invited me to his house with the demand from the President that I withdraw in writing my press statement of 12th January 2012 or be dismissed? I told Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama to convey to the President that I was ready for any eventuality and will not ever withdraw that truthful press statement,” Amidu wrote.
Strangely, the same day (18th January 2012) Martin Amidu claims the above incident took place, was the same day he wrote and delivered his apology letter to the late President at his office, and the next day, January 19, 2012, he was fired.
It is not too clear which of the two events took place on January 18, 2012, especially when Martin Amidu has in one breadth stated that he rejected the late President’s request to withdraw the January 12, 2012 allegation or risk being fired, and in another admitted writing an apology on the same day, which was a follow up to a verbal apology.
Truth Stands
Despite these late incoherent explanations by the former AG, the fact still remains that he was sacked because of the January 13, 2012 incident in which he (Amidu) raised his voice at the late President and not his skewed explanation that he was sacked because he counseled the late President to persuade Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu to be used as prosecution witness in the criminal trial of Woyome.
Indeed, The aL-hAJJ’s investigations have uncovered that Martin Amidu has since been running riot after his dismissal because he is yet to come to terms with what could have prompted the late President, who appointed him running mate in the 2000 elections, to sack him after apologizing to him three times.
What is even said to be irking him is that after officially writing to the late President to show remorse for his unruly behavior and possibly maintain him, he was sacked a day after.
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