Deputy Special Prosecutor can probe Airbus scandal in Amidu’s place - Emile Short

The first Commissioner at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Justice Emile Short says Martin Amidu’s deputy can lead investigations into the Airbus scandal if the Special Prosecutor is unable to do so because of his alleged involvement in the matter.

According to him, the Office of the Special Prosecutor doesn’t revolve around Martin Amidu alone so Cynthia Lamptey and other lawyers in the office have the legal mandate to act on its behalf.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday the retired Supreme Court judge said “even if he [Martin Amidu] is not able to handle the matter, let’s not forget that there is a Deputy Special Prosecutor and there are other lawyers within the office. The office is not just Martin Amidu… I think we should keep that in mind.”

“I don’t think the deputy special prosecutor was part of the administration so it’s possible that she might be able to handle the matter,” he added

Emile Short was reacting a claim by a member of the NDC legal team, Edudzie Tamakloe, that the Special Prosecutor was the Attorney General at the time the aircraft was purchased from Airbus and gave a legal clearance for the purchase, as such, he isn’t in the position to probe the matter.

Mr Tamakloe, in an interview on Adom FM’s ‘Dwaso Nsem’ on Tuesday said “the Finance Ministry on June 1, 2011 wrote to Martin Amidu at a time when he was the Attorney General seeking for a legal opinion on the purchase of the aircraft which he gave. And it was based on his legal opinion that government even bought the aircraft.”

“He (Martin Amidu) as the AG as at that time knew the persons involved and he never had an issue with it, even after the purchase of the aircraft he met with persons involved for additional information. So, what exactly is Amidu going to investigate and unravel,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo has tasked the Office of the Special Prosecutor to unravel the identities of the persons said to have been engaged in the bribery scandal with Airbus.

This was after Ghana was named as one of five countries Airbus paid millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for contracts.

A British court has since slapped a fine of £3 billion on the company.