NDC hints of 'grilling' Martin Amidu

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, yesterday gave an indication of what the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, should expect when he appears before the Appointments Committee of Parliament in the coming weeks.

The minority leader, who contributed to the business statement for the first week after parliament resumed yesterday, stressed on the floor of parliament that the minority is ready to subject the nominee to the minimum constitutional, legal and moral requirements to be able to become the Special Prosecutor.

He said the minority members of the Appointments Committee will undertake their constitutional responsibility of subjecting the nominee to scrutiny when he appears before it.

He therefore asked the leadership of parliament to speed up the process of inviting the Special Prosecutor to be vetted by the Appointments Committee.

The minority leader also explained that the onus of giving the green light to the Special Prosecutor to discharge his duties rests with parliament.

He said people must know that being merely nominated by the President does not guarantee the nominee the position he has been penciled for.

He said President Akufo-Addo must also not think that parliament will be a rubber stamp in approving the nomination of Mr Martin Amidu and that parliament will do the proper scrutiny of the legal and moral life of the nominee.

At yesterday’s sitting, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, also raised the issue of the Gitmo 2, whose continuous stay in the country would have to be further ratified by parliament since the last agreement for their stay expired on January 6, 2018.

He therefore asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway to, as a matter of urgency, bring a new agreement for ratification by parliament.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Old Tafo and Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, said that once the agreement was brought to parliament in August, 2017 for ratification following the Supreme Court’s ruling, there was no need for any other agreement.

According to Dr Akoto Osei, the government can decide to extend their stay in the country by granting them visas because the agreement had been ratified by parliament.