Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu on Wednesday clashed in court with Deputy Attorney, General Godfred Yeboah Dame.
While the Special Prosecutor remarked “if you don’t respect me you can’t come to me”, the Deputy AG said Mr Amidu had no right to suggest his office was not working towards retrieving some €47 million paid to Waterville Holdings Limited.
Mr Amidu had dragged the AG to the apex court in his private capacity saying the state was failing to retrieve the money. The Supreme Court, however, urged Mr Amidu to cooperate with the AGs office. Mr Amidu proceeded to submit to the AG’s office documents he maintains could assist the office to enforce the court’s order.
Wednesday proceedings
When the court presided over by Justice Baffoe Bonnie called the case on Wednesday, the Deputy AG was the first to speak. He expressed concerns over the documents Mr Amidu had filed. He said while they don’t help the issue of retrieval substantively he didn’t think it ought to have been filed as though it was a written address to the court.
The Panel hearing the case, however, responded to the Deputy AG that the cooperation it called for could take various forms and what had been presented by Mr Amidu satisfies the court.
Deputy AG demands dismissal of case
Deputy AG Godfred Yeboah Dame then proceeded to urge the court to dismiss the application filed by Mr Amidu since it was incompetent. He explained that the rules of the court do not allow for such an application.
“The application as has been filed is incompetent”, Mr Dame said.
Amidu responds
The Special Prosecutor responded that he filed the application due to the peculiar situation he found himself in. He explained that the case in which the Supreme Court ordered retrieval of the money, he was the plaintiff with the AG, Waterville and Woyome as defendants. He proceeded that it was interesting in that one of the losing defendants was in this scenario the one required to enforce the decision which was not being done.
Deputy AG Responds
Deputy AG Godfred Dame rebutted that the Special Prosecutor was creating the impression that the AG’s office was not bent on retrieving the money. He also stated that this is why Mr. Amidu leaked the documents he submitted to the AG’s office to the press.
Amidu reacts
Martin Amidu took offence as he remarked that he wasn’t a publisher and cannot be held responsible for publications in the press. “Where is the evidence that I am responsible for the publication?” Mr Amidu asked.
Mr Yeboah Dame rebutted that the Special Prosecutor indeed told the press that the AG’s office wasn’t working to retrieve the money.
He maintained the Special Prosecutor said this in an interview on a TV programme dubbed “Time with David”. He urged the court to rule on his request that the application is incompetent. The Special Prosecutor reacted once again that he doesn’t like it when he’s tagged as someone who tells lies.
“I don’t want to be tagged as someone who lies”, the Special Prosecutor stated.
He added that the court’s decision could well affect the desire of citizens to expend their limited resources to ensure that laws of the state are respected.
Court intervenes
The Panel raised concerns about instances where lawyers speak to the press while their case is pending in court. It urged lawyers to desist from such practices as it often is a one-sided commentary. The court dismissed the application filed by Martin Amidu describing it as incompetent.
Deputy AG reacted to the ruling in open court by saying he was going to call the Special Prosecutor to cooperate with him. Mr Amidu was at this point walking away from the seat reserved for lawyers remarked that “if you don’t respect me you can’t come to me”. He took his seat in the public gallery and could be heard saying “my son is even older than you. You don’t respect” as he pointed towards the Deputy AG.
The case was heard by Justices Baffoe-Bonnie, Sule Gbadegbe, Alfred Benin, Marful-Sau and Agnes Dordzie
Source: Joy News
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
What a waste of public funds! Amidu so so disappointing
ATK and Co, did you read the proceedings as presented in this report at all?... fullish comments nkoaaa na akamo.
Respect is earned, respect is not demanded. In any case, Martin went to cause as a matter of law. Unfortunately, his application is incompetent because, the matter has already been determined in favour of Ghana, and it is left Ghana, herein represented by the AG to enforce the judgment. In fact, it is not the duty of the court to order the AG to enforce the judgment with Waterville. Amidu was therefore asking for what the court could not do because the rules of court do not provide for such an application or action. Truth be told, Amidu got the law wrong and the Deputy AG proved superior. The law is no respecter age. Simply stated, Amidu was embarrassed by the young learned Deputy AG. what a shameful day for Amidu.
I knew from day that the appointment of a Special Prosecutor was nothing but a fiasco. Hahahahaha
WE TALK LAW HERE, NOT COMPARING AGE AND WHETHER ONE'S CHILD IS OLDER THAN THE OTHER. MARTIN AMIDU, YOUR COMPLAINTS ARE JUST BECOMING TOO MUCH. PLEASE, COOPERATE AND CARRY ON WITH THE PROSECUTION OF WOYOME AND OTHERS. DONT LET THEM GO SCOT FREE.
So when at all is Martin Amidu going to start work?
AMIDU THEY TOLD YOU SO THAT AKUFO ADO DELIBERATELY APPOINTED YOU FOR THATV OFFICE. BET ME YOU CAN NEVER WIN ANY CASE AS FAR AS AKUFO ADO IS IN OFFICE AGAINST HIS APPOINTEES.