<<Print>>

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo today [Thursday], after an emergency cabinet meeting at the Flagstaff House, has named a former Attorney General in the National Democratic Congress [NDC] administration, Martin Alamisi Benz-Kaiser Amidu as the Independent Special Prosecutor (ISP).

President Akufo-Addo, announcing Mr. Amidu for the newly created office of the Independent Special Prosecutor, noted he will present the name to Parliament for approval.

The President also commended him for his continual combat against corruption as an anti-corruption crusader.

"I can vouch for his spiritedness", the President acclaimed the former Attorney General and Citizen Vigilante.

The appointment of Mr. Amidu, to many Ghanaians, strikes fear in current and former government appointees who may have the penchant for corruption.

Campaign Promise

As part of his election 2016 campaign promises, President Akufo-Addo stated his administration will set up an office of an independent Special Prosecutor to deal with corruption cases in the country.

The New Patriotic Party in the election manifesto said, the office will “be independent of the Executive, to investigate and prosecute certain categories of cases and allegations of corruption and other criminal wrongdoing, including those involving alleged violations of the Public Procurement Act and cases implicating political officeholders and politicians.”

Following his assumption of office, he has reiterated his commitment to set up the office and nominate someone to occupy it.

Bill Passed

On Tuesday, November 14th, 2017, Parliament finally passed the Special Prosecutor's Bill at a marathon sitting amidst controversy over whether the prospective Special Prosecutor should be immuned from prosecution.

The government was racing against time to have the bill passed ahead of the reading of the 2018 Budget statement which has been scheduled for the next day Wednesday.

Over 30 ammendments were made to the Bill that gives power to the new independent prosecutor tasked with the responsibility of prosecuting past and present public officers deemed to have been corrupt.

Chief among the controversial amendments is the decision to free the independent prosecutor from any form of prosecution.

Prez Assents Bill

Then barely 48hours into the new year, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo gave a Presidential Assent to the Office of Special Prosecutor Bill, and four other bills key on the agenda of his administration.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill, the Zongo Development Fund Bill, and the bills that seek to establish three development authorities received legislative approval last year and will pave the way for the President to fulfill certain promises upon which he was elected into office.

President Akufo-Addo told reporters at the Presidency yesterday that the establishment of the Office of Special Prosecutor was an important step in the government’s determination to root out corruption from public offices.

Amidu Punches Holes In Bill

Interestingly, the man who has just been named as the Special Prosecutor for the newly created office of the Independent Prosecutor, had earlier raised issues with the bill.

In a 25-page critique of the Bill, he warned that the then Special Prosecutor's bill currently before Parliament lacked the power to fight corruption if passed to become law and advised the President to be careful of some elements in his government whose intentions are to embarrass him in his fight against corruption.