Chief of Staff does not own the Special Prosecutor's office space – Asiedu Bekoe

The Office of the Chief of Staff has refuted speculations that the building that houses the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) belongs to Frema Osei Opare, the Chief of Staff, who has rented it out to the state.

According to Frank Asiedu Bekoe, the Director of Political Affairs at the Office of the Chief of State, the speculations circulating on social media have no merit and consequently, are total fabrications.

Backing his claims with the tenancy agreement between one Joyce A. Thompson, who is said to be the owner of the facility on one part, and the Office of the President, on the other, Bekoe explained that the Chief of Staff is only a tenant and not the landlady of the said property.

A Graphic Online reportage sighted by GhanaWeb stated that, per the tenancy agreement, “the four-bedroom storey building and a two-bedroom bungalow building with numbered F73/6, Yantrebi Crescent, Labone, was first rented by the Chief of Staff on behalf of the Office of the President in February, 2018 and later renewed on monthly basis from February 2020 after the initial agreement expired.”

In October 2020, both parties further signed another agreement to extend the tenancy for an additional year.

Frank Asiedu Bekoe explained that the Chief of Staff has never had any issues concerning the building being used as OSP and occupied by Martin Amidu.

He added that Martin Amidu, during his tenure as the Special Prosecutor, was never denied anything he requested because the Office of the President believed that whenever his requests were granted, it would enable him to work efficiently and effectively.

Martin Amidu on Monday November 16, 2020, resigned from his position as the Special Prosecutor.

In his resignation letter to the President, Amidu cited inter alia, the unavailability of resources to discharge his duties as one of the reasons he had not been effective.

Parts of Martin Amidu’s resignation letter read: "The one condition upon which I accepted to be nominated as the Special Prosecutor when you invited me to your Office on 10th January 2018 was your firm promise to me that you will respect and ensure same by your Government for my independence and freedom of action as the Special Prosecutor."

The Presidency, in response, has denied Amidu’s accusation of interference in the discharge of his duties. They further rejected his [Martin Amidu] accusations that President Akufo-Addo advised him to shelve his report on the controversial Agyapa Royalties deal.

“At no point did the President ask you to shelve the report, so he could ‘handle the matter’. It is difficult to see in what way and in what context the President would seek to ‘handle the matter’ when the matter was already public knowledge and had led to the Ministry of Finance suspending action on the Agyapa transaction in anticipation of your report”, Nana Bediatuo Asante, Secretary to the President, wrote in a nine-page response.

Find below the tenancy agreement.