FLASHBACK: I’ll catch the thieves – Martin Amidu promises

Before the 2016 elections, then-candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo promised Ghanaians that he will fight corruption to the core by creating the Office of the Special prosecutor when voted into power.

The President fulfilled his promise by creating the office and named former Attorney General, Martin Amidu as the Special Prosecutor nominee.

Mr. Martin Amidu told Parliament’s Appointment Committee during his vetting, that he will make sure that his office will be strengthened to catch “thieves” who may engage in corrupt activities.

Read the full story originally published on February, 13, 2018, on Ghanaweb

Special Prosecutor nominee Martin Amidu has warned that he will catch the thieves who are plundering Ghana’s resources if he is approved by parliament.

Mr. Amidu told parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, 13 February that: “We have to set up strong institutions if we are to succeed,” warning: “If we don’t set up strong institutions, we are going to replicate the office of the special prosecutor as we did with other institutions, [and] we will have a problem.”

In his view, “The way forward I see is that the [Office of Special Prosecutor] Act, permits us to set up departments that will help us to do our work”.

“When I’m appointed and my deputy is appointed and the board is appointed and we have the complement of staff, I will lead them to explore ways of catching the thief, so that if my employees are taking bribes, I’ll have a way of knowing that they are.

“I mean there are various ways of intelligence and security to do this. The FBI and other bodies have done it, we will do it, so, it’s not going to be a situation in which you’ll think that working in my office is just a holiday, no, no.

“We shall make sure that we get into it, we’ll haul you there because Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion, and, I, when you approve of me, must be the first one above suspicion, I’ve demonstrated it before in positions I’ve held and I’m going to make sure that I myself am above suspicion”, Mr. Amidu said.