NDC will seek review of Supreme Court ruling on Martin Amidu’s eligibility – Opare Addo

The National Youth Organizer of the National Democratic Congress, Opare Addo says the party will seek a review of the Supreme Court ruling on Martin Amidu’s eligibility as Special Prosecutor if it wins the 2020 elections.

It will be recalled that Former Deputy Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine filed a case at the Supreme Court challenging the eligibility of Amidu with the premise that Martin Amidu as per his age his unfit to hold the position.

The Supreme Court, however, ruled in May that Amidu is eligible to hold the office.

Speaking to www.ghanaweb.com on the party’s plans for the Special Prosecutor, Opare Addo said that the office of the Special Prosecutor will be strengthened to deal with corruption cases.

He noted that under ‘operation sting’, the Special Prosecutor’s office, CHRAJ and other institutions will be empowered to carry out their duties effectively.

“We will empower existing institutional structures for enforcing sanctions and those sanctions will be properly applied. The OSP is an existing institution and we don’t intend to touch it. We brought the anti-corruption plan when we were in government and it is part of our reforms that we will make sure that whatever that office requires and needs, we will support it.

Opare Addo said that the decision to revisit the conversations about Amidu’s age is to ensure a correct interpretation of the law.

He denied suggestions that an attempt to review the ruling which could force Martin Amidu out of office will be an interference in the works of the OSP.

“We don’t have a problem with the OSP. The man who is occupying that office per our constitution, the OSP is a public office so the retiring age of public servants applies to the OSP so Martin Amidu is not fit because he should be on retirement. Martin Amidu’s office is in line with Appeal’s Court judges and he is more than sixty-five so that’s what we are saying”, he said.

“If the NDC wins, because the Supreme Court has already ruled on this case, we’ll go back and have the decision reviewed by the Supreme Court. The CHRAJ boss cannot be more than sixty-five years. The Supreme Court Chief Justice cannot be more than seventy years so why can’t the Supreme Court give a decision on that of Martin Amidu?. It’s not about Martin Amidu. It’s about establishing the law and making sure that our institutions are strong.