Amidu’s resignation exposes Akufo-Addo’s corrupt nature – Inusah Fuseini

Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central, Hon. Inusah Fuseini, has stated that the resignation of Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu has exposed President Akufo-Addo’s unwillingness to fight corruption in his government.

Mr Amidu, a former Attorney General under the NDC government, resigned from office on Monday three years after he was appointed by President Akufo-Addo.

Among the reasons for quitting, Mr Amidu cited interference with his work, adding “my position as the Special Prosecutor has consequently become clearly untenable” under the presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo despite a pledge from the President to “respect” his office and not control it.

But speaking to host Kwame Minkah on Dwaboase Tuesday morning, Inusah Fuseini who is also the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Constitution and Legal Affairs Committee, observed the resignation of Mr Amidu did not come to him as a surprise. He said he had known Amidu to be an ” independent-minded person who cannot be controlled by anybody.”

Akufo-Addo Exposed

Amidu who is also known as Citizen Vigilante told President Akufo-Addo in his resignation letter that he had to announce his resignation to the public because of “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.”

He had already rejected an offer from President Akufo-Addo to infuse Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta’s comment about the deal, to his final report that unveiled the corruption of government officials in the deal.

“After receiving my letter under reference on 19 October 2020, you ordered your Chief of Staff on 20 October 2020, to deliver an urgent message personally to me on the same day…When she could not reach me on telephone, she decided to invite me in writing in her letter with reference number OP/COS/015 dated 2o October 2020, stating that: ‘I have been directed by HE the President of the Republic, to deliver an urgent message personally to you, today, 20 October 2020. I am looking forward to seeing you as requested,” Amidu said in his letter.

He continued, “I received the Chief of Staff’s letter the next morning, 21 October 2020, and reported to her office as requested. The message she delivered to me was that: You had instructed that I was not to do anything about my report on the Agyapa Royalties Transaction until I had met you on Friday, 23 October 2020.

“You were away in the Volta Region when I met the Chief of Staff.”

But Mr Fuseini said the revelations coupled with the an earlier instruction from the President to then Auditor-General to proceed on leave has depicted President Akufo-Addo as unwilling to fight corruption, especially when both corruption fighters had touched some members of the President’s family or close associates.

“The President himself interfered with Amidu’s work so why should he invite the Special Prosecutor to his office? Martin Amidu is an independent prosecutor however, why should the President instruct him to put his report down if he wants to publish it?,” Mr Fuseini, a former Lands and Natural Resources Minister quizzed.

He said the actions of the President, his Attorney General and Finance Minister showed a concerted effort to frustrate Martin Amidu as the Special Prosecutor, stressing “Why did the president tell him [Amidu] that he would handle the report and didn’t go by his words?”

“We have less than 20 days to election but they can’t campaign on corruption,” the MP said ” Amidu resigned because the NPP did not want him to do the right thing.”

He stated that Ghanaians have seen the unwillingness of the NPP government to fight corruption and added: “Before Ghana can investigate issues pertaining to corruption and scandals, we must kick Nana Akufo-Addo out.”