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Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Majority Leader of Parliament, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, has disclosed that the "leadership of Parliament does not intend to prevent Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu from working".

"But he must work in accordance with the constitution of the country," adds the seasoned Parliamentarian.

Speaking on Okay FM’s "Ade Akye Abia" program, the Majority Leader explained that the Special Prosecutor is at liberty to investigate any member of the House who has been bought before him, "but he must do so without violating the fundamental human rights" of such members of parliament.

"Members of Parliament are not immune from prosecution; they are rather protected especially when they are dispensing their duties, so Martin Amidu should make sure that he does not flout the rules of parliament," he pointed out.

Hon Mensah Bonsu maintained that "whiles parliament is committed to assist the Special Prosecutor in discharging his duties excellently, he should, however, be guided by Article 117 of the constitution which states that 'Civil or criminal process coming from any court or place out of Parliament shall not be served on, or executed in relation to, the Speaker or a member or the clerk to Parliament while he is on his way to, attending at or returning from, any proceedings of Parliament' whiles executing his work." 

Special Prosecutor (SP), Martin Alamisi Burnes Kaiser Amidu, has accused the Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Ocquaye, of interfering in his work of prosecuting corrupt parliamentarians who have abused their office.

He explained that when he sent a member of parliament to court, the Speaker invited him (Martin Amidu) to his office, and tried to persuade him as to how he should behave but “I told him 'No I won’t.'"

“He wrote to the judge with a certificate directing the judge how he should behave, the judge turned it down…there is nothing like bipartisan interference in the work of the office of Special Prosecutor when the legislature which made the law and gave the independence tries to interfere as to how it is executed,” Mr Amidu said to host of ‘Time With David’, David Ampofo.

The Special Prosecutor debunked the assertion that he is a lonely man and it is only the general public that he owes his duty to and not the politicians.

He noted, “If you bipartisanly obstruct the fight against corruption, you should remember Tunisia, Sudan and your people who are suffering and who will want alternatives to have freedom.”

Mr. Amidu believes that the political elite is being protected when it comes to the fight against corruption whilst the ordinary citizen who only stole a finger of plantain will be jailed for 5 years.

“When ministers or former ministers take double salaries, one year now nothing has happened…that is an abuse of office for private profit, what is happening…I have made a statement about it, nobody is looking at that…everybody is looking at me…was I set up as a citizen vigilante to become a Special Prosecutor so that at the end of the day, failure would be put on me?” he quizzed.

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