Chasing Ayariga for GH¢30k petty – Martin Amidu chided

Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has described the suit filed by the Special Prosecutor against Member of Parliament for Bawku Central Constituency Mahama Ayariga as petty.

According to him, the Office of the Special Prosecutor was set up to investigate “grand corruption” in order to allow existing anti-graft agencies to deal with “small” cases.

Lawyer Kpebu expressed this opinion on TV3/3FM’s The Key Points on Saturday, May 25.

His opinion comes in the wake of Martin Alamisi Amidu’s first case of corruption filed at an Accra High Court against tax evasion claims leveled against the former minister of state. Mr Ayariga is said to have paid GH¢6,062.86 instead of GH¢36,591.15 at the port for the importation of three second-hand Toyota Land Cruisers.

For Mr Kpebu, a case involving an amount of GH¢30,000 for the anti-corruption Office is too disappointing.

His comments, however, generated controversy with a New Patriotic Party (NPP) communications officer, Richard Ahiagbah, who was also on the show, arguing that cases of corruption – especially the one in point – should not be reduced to the amount involved.

For Mr Ahiagbah, a failed NPP General Secretary aspirant, the Office of Special Prosecutor was set up to fight a system, which many bodies have not been able to do.

But Mr Kpebu was intransigent.

“I still stand by it that [the money involved] is small. These matters must go to the police.”

He insisted that Mr Amidu must rather concentrate on “grand corruption”.