The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu has inveighed against the alleged interference by some officials of the ruling NPP warning them not to test his resolve.
His comment comes after Communications Director for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoah asked him[Amidu] to stop complaining about interference in his work and continue to serve as expected of him.
The clash had been triggered by complaints in a recent article authored by Martin Amidu indicating that some heads of state institutions were interfering or not cooperating with him as well as the CID report absolving the former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Charles Bissue of any wrongdoing in the Tiger Eye PI Galamsey fraud expose.
In his response to Mr. Asamoah in his latest article, the Special Prosecutor said there was an attempt to “tacitly instruct” the way he runs his office.
“Hon. Yaw Buaben Asamoa as the Communication Director of the Governing political party has on several occasions sought to create the impression in the public mind that he has authority as the Communication Director of his political party to tacitly instruct the Special Prosecutor in the media on how to perform the functions of his Office.
“…I wish Hon. Yaw Buaben Asamoa to understand that the Office of the Special Prosecutor is governed by statute and I am mandated to lead it in the achievement of that mandate. I do not need any direct or indirect instructions from any office holder of any political party like him…
“Hon. Yaw Buaben Asamoa should understand that by my oath at my vetting in Parliament for appointment I was not going to be the poodle of any political party and he as the Communication Director of the New Patriotic Party should not try to test my resolve. Should he think that I am talking too much and not doing my job the simple solution is for him to have me removed from office. Until then he should leave me alone to continue to exercise the independent duties of my office in accordance with my oath before Parliament and my oath at my appointment as the Special Prosecutor.”
Below is the full Article by Amidu
Martin Amidu writes: The Special Prosecutor is not a poodle of any political party
July 23, 2019
Ghana’s Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu
Hon. Yaw Buaben Asamoa as the Communication Director of the Governing political party has on several occasions sought to create the impression in the public mind that he has authority as the Communication Director of his political party to tacitly instruct the Special Prosecutor in the media on how to perform the functions of his Office.
The latest attempt by Hon. Yaw Buaben Asamoa, Member of Parliament for Adenta, in his capacity as the Communication Director of the New Patriotic Party to tacitly direct and control my functions as the Special Prosecutor is contained in interviews he gave to the media in response to clarifications I made in an interview with Citi FM Breakfast Show on Monday when I was called and asked about the status of Mr. Charles Bissues’ case which the public already knew was being investigated by my Office. Hon. Yaw Buaben Asamoa latched on my explanation and information to the public through the interview to run to the defence of the Criminal Investigation Department as though it is a Department of deaf and dumb.
Hon. Yaw Buaben Asamoa did this by pretending to be directing me as an ignoramus on how to perform the duties of my Office:
“I don’t think it’s useful to be at opposite ends of the table with the CID. I think it is better for him to pick up that report, look at its flaws, if any he finds per his perview he finds per the Special Prosecutor’s Act and move on to deal with those issues. Nobody has asked him not to work on Mr. Bissue’s report, nobody has stopped him from moving to investigate the matter and nobody can stop him.”
Why is he complaining all the time, let him do his work, it’s simple as that…..”
Hon Yaw Buaben Asamoa as the Communication Direct of his party on a previous occasion had the audacity to use the media to instruct me to prosecute “the low hanging fruits”, whatever that means.
Hon. Yaw Buaben Asamoa as the Communications Director of his party thinks that Ghanaians are so foolish that they may not suspect that his verbal attack on my Office in the media on Monday may be construed by rational citizens as a subtle way of defending the CID and a party colleague who was the subject of the alleged exoneration. He appears to pretend not to understand that there are several subtle ways of interfering with and indirectly stopping a fair investigation.
The Ghanaian public has a right to know that political appointees serving as public officers are not allowed to choose their own forum for the investigation of corruption and corruption-related offences even when the suspect is both a political appointee and political party colleague. Hon. Yaw Buaben Asamoa also thinks that Ghanaians are so naïve that they cannot see in his tacit instructions and attacks on me a defence of the CID by him and on behalf of his political party. Why come to the defence of a public institution when it is capable of defending itself except to score political points?
I wish Hon. Yaw Buaben Asamoa to understand that the Office of the Special Prosecutor is governed by statute and I am mandated to lead it in the achievement of that mandate. I do not need any direct or indirect instructions from any office holder of any political party like him. It is time for him and others like him from other political parties to stop confusing the fact that I was appointed by the President of the Republic to mean that it created a vested right in the political party which supported him to win the elections to instruct or direct me as the Special Prosecutor. I was appointed by the President in his capacity as the Executive Authority of Ghana under the 1992 Constitution and not as the flag-bearer of any political party.
Hon. Yaw Buaben Asamoa should understand that by my oath at my vetting in Parliament for appointment I was not going to be the poodle of any political party and he as the Communication Director of the New Patriotic Party should not try to test my resolve. Should he think that I am talking too much and not doing my job the simple solution is for him to have me removed from office. Until then he should leave me alone to continue to exercise the independent duties of my office in accordance with my oath before Parliament and my oath at my appointment as the Special Prosecutor.
Source: MartinAmidu.com
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This man must stop the daily tantrums and get down to work, aba!!! You are disgracing your name in Ghana. Its becoming too much. That loud mouth cannot secure you any credibility until we have value for money by your appointment.
If Nana Addo got it wrong with appointing Martin Amidu, what other appointments has he gotten wrong. Clueless gov't. Mistakes everywhere, everyday
Put that loud-mouthed bloke of a communications director in his right coop! How can a functionary of a political party speak on behalf of a national institution like the CID whose existence predates the political party? I listened to the interview Bernard Avle granted Martin Amidu and that never sounded like the SP was complaining! He only sought to clarify his position regarding the exoneration by the CID of Charles Bissue and to further clarify that in the first place the CID had no jurisdiction over the case as it relates to politically-exposed person(s) which comes under the remit of the SP. How does this amount to complaints as Buabeng Asamoa sought to portray? Buabeng should focus on the constructing the roads at Adenta with his MP common fund and stop meddling in issues which don't even concern him! Is he a spokesperson for the CID? Martin Amidu is a seasoned attorney and knows his job so he should be left to execute his mandate whether or not Buabeng has an opinion . His opinions are irrelevant!
Martin Amidu should stop the media showbiz and get to work. What kind of talking being is that? Every whisper he will come chasing and reacting to it. Enough of this mouth mouth prosecution. When he once had an issue with Tiger Eye, he did a similar thing by attacking Anas, calling him names including "fraudulent" etc. Martin should give us a break.
WHAT KIND OF INVESTIGATIONS DID THE CID DO ON THIS CASE?. THE CID FAILED TO TELL GHANAIANS WHAT THE MONEY CHARLES BISSUE WAS RECEIVING IN THE VIDEO WAS MEANT FOR. DO YOU THINK GHANAIANS ARE NAIVE?. THE PRESIDENCY A CLEARING HOUSE FOR CORRUPTION INDEED. WHY DID THE GOVT NOT DO A SIMILAR THING IN ROCKSON BUKARI'S CASE. IT IS BECAUSE HE IS A NORTHERNER. WHEN THE CASE CAME OUT, THE PRESIDENCY OR THE NPP PARTY DID NOT SEE THE NEED TO ALSO PROTECT HIM THE MANNER THEY ARE DOING TO OTHERS, BUT ONLY ASKED HUM TO RESIGN. BEFORE HE COULD MAKE A DECISION. THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATION AT THE PRESIDENCY CAME OUT TO ANNOUNCE THAT HE HAD RESIGNED MEANWHILE THE MAN HIMSELF NEVER WROTE A RESIGNATION LETTER. WHAT A PARTY AND GOVT?. SOME PEOPLE IN THE PARTY ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHERS, YET YOU SEE SOME ***barred word*** AND ***barred word*** NORTHERNERS RUNNING AFTER THIS ***barred word*** PARTY, WHICH PRETEND TO LOVE THE PEOPLE WHEN IN OPPOSITION, BUT WHEN THEY WIN POWER THEY DISCRIMINATE, LOOT INTELLIGENTLY TO CREATE WEALTH FOR THEIR FAMILIES. ONLY TIME WILL TELL.
@daily Guide: Thank God! at least an NPP foot soldiers have realized that Nana Addo is not "SHARP". I wonder what got him to the presidency in the first place. The man is old, dead with with ideas. No direction. The president is so indebted to his family members to the extend that he has no choice but to appoint them into various position to loot monies from the state as reward/pay back to monies he owe's them. Martin Amidu is not doing the bidding of the NDC. The NPP hail him when he was in banter with the NDC and The Mahama Administration. Malicious articles and publication(citizen vigilante). NDC was charitable by advising this "DULL" president not to appoint this man(Martin Amidu) as the special prosecutor, But another "YENTIE OBIAA" president who is weak and unintelligent went ahead without checking what the NDC was saying about Amidu, Think he has the MAGIC WAND to jail the past NDC appointee's. Now you see? The President is just not smart, unintelligent, dull etc. no disrespect, just quoting you. Sorry they are tagging you when you tell them the truth. i advised myself longtime ago. I think you should do same.
MARTIN AMIDU SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THE ATTACKS ON HIM STEM FROM THE FACT THAT THE NPP AS A POLITICAL PARTY "YOBBED" GHANAIANS SO MUCH TO COME TO POWER AND HAVE FAILED MISSERABLY TO DELIVER AS FORMER JOHN MAHAMA WHO TALKED LESS BUT DELIVERED BETTER. LIKE THE HALF-CRIPPLED MAN IN MY VILLAGE, WHO DANCED VERY NICELY WHILE SEATED AND RECEIVED SO MUCH APPLAUSE FOR HIS PERFORMANCE BUT FINALLY DISGRACED HIMSELF AFTER MAKING AN ATTEMPT TO STAND UP AND DANCE. THE NPP MEMBERS ARE ATTACKING EVERYONE AS A WAY OF HIDING THEIR SUPER INCOMPETENCE IN GOVERNMENT. THEY ARE EVEN SILENCING RADIO SATION AS A WAY OF PREVENTING THEM FROM EXPOSING THEIR POOR PERFORMANCE IN GOVERNMENT.
This special prosecutor is doing the bidding of his party NDC. Nana Addo should have known better than being populace. In the same way Nana Addo should be careful with Rawlings. Sometimes i feel sad for my party NPP, Nana Addo is jx not sharp. The grounds dont favor us but when u speak the truth den they tag u.