Amidu’s position on double salary payment far-fetched – Inusah Fuseini

Former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini who was also accused of taking double salary has responded to the claims of former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu.

He said Mr Amidu’s claim is far-fetched.

Martin Amidu has alleged that President Akufo-Addo stood in the way of the former Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo and stopped her from bringing criminal charges against Members of Parliament (MPs) who were alleged to have been involved in the infamous double-salary scandal.

The citizen vigilante claims the action of the president in the matter was for “political expediency”. In his latest epistle which reports to a media report that he took over the prosecution of the scandal but did nothing before resigning his post, the Mr. Amidu refuted the claims, counterclaiming it was the interference of the president that foiled prosecutions.

“The credible information I received on the case is and was that the then-Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions had both perused the case docket and had come to the conclusion that charges be filed against some of the suspects for prosecution.

“The Attorney General was instructed not to do so by the President who unconstitutionally usurped the investigatory and prosecutorial constitutional authority of the Attorney General on grounds of political expediency of having the suspects agreeable to play ball in Parliament for the Government,” he said.

He also alleged that President Akufo-Addo used the scandal together and other criminal cases to negotiate a deal with the NDC for his ministerial appointees to be approved en mass, including those who were required to give further and better particulars before approval. This negotiation he alleged was led by an NDC former Finance Minister.

“The statement attributed to the Office of the Attorney General about recently resuming “working on establishing a prima facie case against the ex-appointees and then swing into action” cannot also be reflecting any factual truth because of negotiations led by one of the former Ministers of Finance of the NDC on behalf of this Government which resulted in the NDC party outside Parliament instructing the NDC in Parliament to approve all the Ministerial nominees of the Government including the Minister who was yet to supply further and better particulars to the appointments committee for consideration before his approval or disapproval by the Committee and by Parliament.”

He further claimed that parts of the negotiation led “to some NDC contractors being paid for the first time for work done prior to 7th January 2017 before the ministerial approvals were made as a show of good faith to the NDC…”

But Mr Fuseini said “I have read Martin Amidu’s piece on what he alleges was a deal between the government and the Minority MPs on the appointment committee. With all due respect to Martin Amidu, his position is far-fetched.

“If you had been a Member of Parliament before you would know that the appointment committee takes decision either by a consensus or by division.

“And whatever decision is taken at the appointment committee is subject to the approval by the plenary in the setting of Parliament as duly constituted,” he told Accra-based Joy.