Former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu has disclosed that, late former president, Jerry John Rawlings’ role as an intermediary between him and President Akufo-Addo informed his independence of action in reducing corruption.
Contained in a 27 paged ‘Amidu’s Constitutional Defense to Presidential Letter’, the former Special Prosecutor asserted that, the president wading in on the Agyapa Royalties anticorruption assessment led to the “realization that the President’s holier than thou pontifications about fighting corruption did not extend to doing so without fear or favor, affection or ill will to cases in which the President’s ox is gored”.
“I reported my concerns immediately thereafter to the late former President Emeritus Jerry John Rawlings who had always acted as a go-between, between the President and me in his Office in the presence of a surviving third party. Indeed, it was upon the former President Emeritus’ insistence that my mere presence as the Special Prosecutor contributed to reducing the rape of the public purse through corruption activities that I stayed in my position that long. He was the insurance for my independence of action”.
According to Mr. Amidu, demands made on him by the President when he met him in his Office on Friday, 23rd October 2020 to withhold any further action on the tax haven based Agyapa Royalties Limited anti-corruption assessment report “convinced me instantly that he had labored under the mistaken impression that I could be his poodle”.
For this reason of interference from the “the President on the performance” of his functions as the Special Prosecutor “is the only explanation for me telling the President immediately in his office that I did not intend to continue as the Special Prosecutor”.
Narrating the details of the conversation which ensued between him and President Akufo-Addo, Martin Amidu said his decision to resign as the Special Prosecutor was stalled by the late Rawlings who persuaded him to “wait out what actions the President intended to take at my next meeting with the President on Friday, 30th October 2020 and he expressed the hope that it will be in support of the conclusions in the Agyapa Royalties Limited anti-corruption assessment report”.
Truth, in the words of Martin Amidu does not forget facts and dates but lies do because lies have no integrity. Lies are known to be both the harbingers and symptoms of corruption, corruption behaviour, and activities.
“You have consistently referred in paragraphs 2, 5, 6, and 7 of your letter under reference in accordance with your directives and instructions from the President to an alleged meeting of the President with me on 21st October 2020”.
He further revealed that, the decision then to rescind on his intended resignation was dependent on “how the President handled the conclusions and observations of the Agyapa Royalties Transactions report”.
The late former “President Emeritus and his co-mediator”, he intimated, “knew that the President was acting on the conclusions and observations and not the full report”.
Reflecting with hindsight after being relieved of “the pressure of office”, Mr. Amidu acknowledged and agreed “with those compatriots who had fought alongside and have better knowledge of the President over the years that the President’s directives to the Ministry of Finance was just a repetition of his modus operandi of the innocent looking flower fighting corruption but the serpent under the innocent flower facilitating corruption – “IT IS OUR TURN TO EAT” Ghanaian Kibaki and his gang”.
