Parliament endorses Martin Amidu as Special Prosecutor

Parliament, by consensus on Tuesday approved Mr Martin Amidu, President Nana Akufo Addo’s nominee as Special Prosecutor, to head the soon to be created Office of Special Prosecutor to address public office corruption.

The Majority Side of the House, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) shouted a resounding ”aye” at the plenary, when the Speaker, Prof Aaron Michael Oquaye put the question, after the debate, on the Report of the Appointments Committee, to approve the nominee.

However, a lone voice from the Minority Side of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) shouted ”no”, amidst total silence from the Minority Side.

Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and MP for Bekwai, who is also the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, presenting the Report of the Committee, said the Committee satisfied itself with the nomination, and recommended that the nominee was approved by consensus.

According to the Report, Mr Alhassan Suhuyini Sayibu, voted against the nominee’s approval by the House.

Mr Osei-Owusu reported to the plenary that the Committee “observed that given Mr Martin Alamisi Burns Kaiser’s high standard of competence, forthrightness in answering questions, independent mindedness, selflessness, solid principles and an in-depth appreciation of the task ahead backed by his onerous experience, the Nominee qualified to serve as the Special Prosecutor.

“His demeanour and composure during the stretch of vetting, portrays him as being ready for the challenge ahead.

“The Committee having satisfied itself that  the nomination of Mr Martin Alamisi Burns Kaiser Amidu by His Excellency the President as Special Prosecutor is in conformity with the Office of Special Prosecutor Act , 2017 (Act 959) and also persuaded that the candidate has the requisite integrity, competence, courage, determination, sense of purpose, independence of character and mind suitable for the position accordingly recommend by consensus for the House to approve the appointment of the nominee.”

Despite the approval, Dr Dominic Ayine, Deputy Ranking Member Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, raised a point of order on two occasions, which were both over-ruled, first by the First Deputy Speaker, who had been in the chair; and later by the Speaker Prof Oquaye.

Dr Ayine said the matter to be discussed was before the Supreme Court, and prayed the First Deputy Speaker and later the Speaker for the House to put a hold on the discussion on the report on the vetting.

The suit by the Ranking Member, who is also MP for Bolgatanga East, and former Deputy Attorney-General, at the Supreme Court, is challenging the nomination of Mr Amidu for the position of Special Prosecutor on the grounds of age.

Dr Ayine argues that the Office of the Special Prosecutor falls under the broad category of public officers who by the Constitution must retire by age 60 with a possible extension to 65 years.

The Bolgatanga East MP is seeking a declaration that “by a true and proper interpretation of Article 190(1)(d),199(1,)199(4) and 295 of the 1992 Constitution, the retirement age of all holders of public office created pursuant to Article(1)(d) is sixty years, anyhow not beyond (65).”

Mr Amidu, who attains 67 on September 6 this year, was a former Attorney General from, from January 2011 to February 2012, during the Administration of the late President Atta Mills, and also Minister for the Interior from 2010 to 2011.

His political service life spans from February 1983 , during which he held portfolios, in the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) through the government of the NDC, and once its Vice Presidential Candidate in the 2000 general election.

His nomination by President Akufo-Addo, followed operationalisation of the Office of Special Prosecutor’s Act (Act 959), and was subsequently vetted by the Appointments Committee on February 13, 2018.

President Akufo -Addo, during the campaign for 2016 elections promised to set up the Office of the Special Prosecutor, to deal with public office corruption, if he got the nod of the Ghanaian electorate.

Source: GNA

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