I don’t mind jailing my 'son' Mahama together with my 'blood daughter' – Martin Amidu swears

Ghana’s ‘sleeping’ Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu who has written more articles for media publication than court briefs has said he won’t mind making sure his "son by Bawku custom” Mahama Ayariga is jailed with his own daughter Hagar if investigators submit their report to him, MyNewsGh.com has filed.

According to Mr Amidu, Mr Ayariga has been engaged in a number of procurement and tax infractions for which he is currently under investigation and could be put before court if the investigation prove justiciable.

He said he will take Mr Ayariga on over a whatsapp message he sent to the Ghana Revenue Authority boss which leaked to the media. Mr Amidu vowed to get to the bottom of the matter.

“Hon. Mahama Ayariga is my son and will remain my son under the custom of the Bawku township where he and my first daughter, Hagar, were born in 1974 and where his parents and I grew up. But crime will be treated as crime should he or Hagar commit any offences under my watch under Act 959; period!” Amidu vowed.

Several misrepresentations must be corrected. Hon. Mahama Ayariga was never invited to the Office of the Special Prosecutor on 14th January 2019 over any investigations or for questions concerning the procurement of “an ambulance for the Constituency which was supported by Bawku Municipal Assembly…”

Hon. Mahama Ayariga was accompanied to the Office of the Special Prosecutor by an investigator from the Economic and Organised Crime Office to be questioned over an urgent letter that was written by this Office to the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Mr. Kofi Nti, which was not copied to any other person or entity.

The letter found its way on WhatsApp from the GRA to the Hon. Mahama Ayariga who in turn forwarded the message on WhatsApp with impunity to the Executive Director of the EOCO on 24th December 2018. I was informed about the WhatsApp on 25th December 2018 and was emailed a copy on 27th December 2018 after persistently asking for it. The EOCO and this Office have been investigating the Hon. Mahama Ayariga for obstruction of investigations and other suspected offences and therefore his act of engaging with WhatsApp messages to EOCO was daring and suspicious.

Hon. Mahama Ayariga appeared before EOCO on 4thJanuary 2019 but was not questioned on the source of the leakage from GRA, nor was his phone taken as exhibit. He was rather allowed to travel to his constituency without my knowledge as the person directing the investigations. Consequently, I sought the concurrence of the Minister responsible for the GRA to investigate the leak of my letter to Mr. Kofi Nti and to Hon. Mahama Ayariga and then to EOCO.

Hon. Mahama Ayariga was accompanied by two lawyers to the investigation’s division of this Office on 14th January 2019, where he made a statement admitting the WhatsApp he sent to the Executive Director of EOCO and he was granted bail. This investigation is very important for the fight against corruption because a lot of funds have already been lost to the public purse from leakages of actions to be taken by GRA to recover monies from tax evaders. This particular case gave me the opportunity to try and get to the bottom of that canker of corruption.

The investigation on the leakage of my letter from the GRA is on-going in spite of those who claim to have powerful relatives in the Government.

Hon. Mahama Ayariga and his lawyers can confirm that he was not questioned about any alleged ambulance for Bawku Municipal Assembly on 14th January 2019 nor was the matter of an ambulance alluded to in his investigation or statement. Four photographs of Hon. Mahama Ayariga smiling in the company of one of his lawyers are exhibited in the news as they exit this Office on 14th January 2019 showing that there was no propaganda to prosecute anybody at the behest of any Government in power.

Coincidentally one Yakubu Mumuni Nambe, an Assemblyman for the Bawku Municipal Assembly and a relation of Hon. Ayariga on the mother’s side had been invited the same day for questioning in relation to the purchase of an ambulance by the Bawku Municipal Assembly. The Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Hajia Hawa Ninchema, appointed by President and others, had already been interrogated quietly as is our style on previous occasions on the same ambulance – but never Hon. Mahama Ayariga.

Hon. Yakubu Mumuni Nambe made a statement to the detectives in my Office and was admitted to bail. It had nothing to do with Hon. Mahama Ayariga’s appearance at this Office on 14th January 2019. Whether or not Hon. Mahama Ayariga would be invited on any ambulance case will depend on a determination by the detectives investigating the case of the Bawku ambulance.

Hon. Yakubu Mumuni Nambe and Hajia Hawa Ninchema are not NDC members. Hon. Nambe’s elder brother is an appointee of the President on the National Petroleum Authority Board.

The Municipal Chief Executive is a known NPP member and I am not going to stop an investigation because of that.