Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu has resigned

The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, has resigned from his position three years after he was appointed by President Akufo-Addo.

The former Attorney General wrote to the President Nana Akufo-Addo Monday saying his decision is to enable his appointing authority “to take steps to appoint a replacement to that position as required by law.”

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“This is to inform the public that I resigned from my position as the Special Prosecutor of the Office of the Special Prosecutor with immediate effect upon the submission of my letter of resignation with reference number OSP/2/AM/14 dated November 16, 2020, which was received at the Office of the President at 15:15 HRS this afternoon,” he said in his letter to the President.

“I should not ordinarily be announcing my resignation to the public myself but the traumatic experience I went through from October 20, 2020, to November 2, 2020, when I conveyed in a 13-page letter the conclusions and observations on the analysis of the risk of corruption and anti-corruption assessment on the Report On Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions and Other Matters Related Thereto to the President as Chairman of the National Security Council cautions against not bringing my resignation as the Special Prosecutor with immediate to the notice of the Ghanaian public and the world,” Mr Amidu said.

According to the man popularly known as Citizen Vigilante, he said, “In undertaking the analysis of the risk of prevention of corruption and anti-corruption assessment I sincerely believed that I was executing an independent mandate under the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Act, 2017 (Act 959) and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018 (L. I. 2374).

“The reaction I received for daring to produce the Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions anti-corruption report convinces me beyond any reasonable doubt that I was not intended to exercise any independence as the Special Prosecutor in the prevention, investigation, prosecution, and recovery of assets of corruption. My position as the Special Prosecutor has consequently become clearly untenable.”

The appointment of Mr Amidu was greeted with a lot of optimism as he has over the years proven himself in his anti-corruption fight as a private citizen.

In his personal capacity, he single-handled saved the country money in the Woyome case even after he left his Attorney General position.

There was no question, therefore, about his ability to deliver on President Akufo-Addo’s 2016 promise to create the Office of the Special Prosecutor to fight corruption.

But in his resignation letter, Mr Amidu said stated that for the purpose of the records, and contrary to public perceptions, his appointment letter was received on February 5, 2020, almost two years after my appointment.

“The copy addressees made no efforts to honour any of the conditions of appointment in terms of emoluments and benefits of the appointment ever since my warrant of appointment was issued on February 23, 2018 to the date of my letter of resignation.

“I accepted the offer on January 10, 2018, to be nominated to be Special Prosecutor because Mr President and Ghanaians knew I have been an anti-corruption crusader all my life and not an anti-corruption entrepreneur.

“This explains why I have never put the emoluments and benefits of the Office as central to my commitment and my passion for the establishment of an independent, effective, efficient and impartial anti-corruption Office of the Special Prosecutor before the end of the first term of Mr President. This has not been possible for several reasons,” he said.

According to Mr Amidu, the Deputy Special Prosecutor has also not been paid any emoluments since her appointment advising there is the need to redress that situation for her considering that he has resigned.

He said, “events of 12^th November 2020 removed the only protection I had from the threats and plans directed at me for undertaking the Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions anti-corruption assessment report and dictates that I resign as the Special Prosecutor immediately.”

“Fear is the enemy of change and I am prepared from the vacuum created on November 12, 2020, to meet the threats of my demise as the price to pay for serving my country without fear or favour affection or ill will”

The former Attorney-General said he acted professionally throughout in the discharge of his duties and his conscience is the anchor of his strength to face any consequences.

“I am grateful to every Ghanaian for both the support and criticisms during my tenure. When the real facts of my tenure become well known to the public in the future, history may judge me kindly. Ghana First!,” he concluded.