The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, has told Citi News that his account was once credited a second salary when he served as a Deputy Attorney General, but he returned the amount to the state.
He has thus suggested that the National Democratic Congress [NDC] Members of Parliament being investigated for allegedly taking double salaries, could be charged with abuse of office for personal gain if found guilty.
“Indeed, that [Double salary], is an offence of abuse of office for private gain,” Mr. Amidu said in an interview with Citi News Thursday.
Some NDC MPs who served as ministers or deputy ministers are currently in hot waters after they were cited by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for allegedly taking double salaries.
25 of the MPs were initially asked to report to the police, but 18 of them were later asked to disregard that invitation.
So far, about eight of them have been interrogated by the CID and are being investigated for stealing; an allegation the Minority in Parliament has rejected.Speaking in the interview, Martin Amidu advised that the investigations into the scandal must not be thwarted regardless of the pressure.
The Special Prosecutor insisted that he will not have the conscience to prosecute ordinary Ghanaians if the double salary matter is not dealt with appropriately.
“… Why should a Special Prosecutor be prosecuting ordinary Ghanaians and your honourables will be involved in these things then they will be talking to the president to wash it up. Then I have no need sitting here. I won’t even have the conscience to continue.”
“Will I have the conscience to prosecute any other body for corruption if the CID finds something prosecutable and are not allowed to prosecute because Members of Parliament are involved? That is not fair,” he added.
They should have returned the double payments
Martin Amidu opined that, the MPs should have returned the double payments when they started receiving more monies in their accounts.
He said it happened to him when he was serving the State as a Deputy Minister, but he returned it.
“Money was ever paid into my account…When my bank notified me I told them to return it because that is not what me and the Attorney General agreed. I could have kept it. This is what they should have done. You don’t keep the money for six months, one year, two years or three years, you’ve left office, one and half years, you’ve not made any efforts to return it. Then when the CID begins seeing it now you are rationalizing it and yet when the ordinary man takes plantain one bunch, he goes to jail for 15 years. So what is the political elite telling us?”
“If it’s been happening since 1992 and no one has seen it, now it has been seen, those responsible should bear the consequence,” he added.
Source: citinewsroom.com
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GH will definatrlly work again
And they(the parliamentarians) are all "honourable men" and wanted to be seen and accorded as such. hmph!
where is the evidence that you returned the money
What will happen to the institution or person who paid it then? Although the recipients have a duty to return it, what about the one who paid. This is the same story the FDA and GSA are telling Ghanaians on the issue of wrong labelling of products in supermarkets. They allowed the goods to come into the country through the port and when a journalist raises the issue they go around closing shops and telling Ghanaians to boycott those products. Really? What about charging your officials at the ports who allowed the products to come in?
Bravo Martin, I trust your conscience for the right thing to be done. Ordinary nurses and trainee teachers were denied allowance only for these thi eves to be enjoying the poor tax payers money for free. Ghana unemployed youth, trainee nurses and teachers should organize demonstration to ensure these people are prosecuted. No well meaning Ghanaian should plead for these guys at all. Mr. President should allow the full investigation and not cotow to any presuure. We are watching and will not forgive you if the right thing is not done.
God bless you Mr Amidu. You are perfectly right, they don't deserve to be called honourables, all of them should resign from parliament to save their names. Is very disgraceful to them and their families. Thieeeeves. SHITHOLE Parliamentarians.
THIS IS A REAL STATESMAN. GOD BLESS YOU AMIDU. LET THEM PAY AND PROSECUTE THEM
Mr clean angel
This is an honest man.... The ndc greedy bastards are caught pants down and we will send them to jail. They are not fit to sit in parliament making laws for us bcos they are not honest..... Their continue stay in parliament is an embarrassment for our country. We must remove them from parliament.