Amidu must not resign – CDD Boss

The Executive Director for the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh believes it will be out of place for the Special Prosecutor to resign over inadequate resources to function.

Mr. Martin Amidu last week went public to complain about lack of cooperation on the part of government appointees, especially ministers in releasing documents and dockets for investigations.

“The present situation where critical ministries and agencies have failed even with our limited constraints or refused to produce public records on demand to aid the office in critical investigations, offences running into millions of cedis, clearly demonstrates that there is divergence between the president’s vision and that of some of his appointees.

“You ask for information you can’t get it, you ask for docket, the docket cannot be produced. You ask a minister for a record, the record cannot be produced. How do you fight corruption when those appointed by the president who has a vision are not coordinating with the office of the special prosecutor to achieve his mandate? That is the challenge we have to face,” the anti-corruption crusader bemoaned at a National Audit Forum organised by the Ghana Audit Service in Accra.

His assertion sparked a lot of public reaction with the National Democratic Congress MP for Buem Daniel Asiamah advising the former attorney general to resign.

“They’ve made you a suspect for causing financial loss to the State. If they took him to court and say he has caused financial loss to the State what will he say. We told him and he said nobody can touch him. At this particular point that he has not taken much of Ghana’s money he should resign,” the opposition MP remarked

However, appearing on Morning Starr on Monday, 1 October 2018, the CDD-Ghana boss said those suggestions are too “extreme.”

“Those are extreme reactions,” Prof. Prempeh told host Francis Abban.

“Some things must be managed at a time,” the legal practitioner said about equipping the Office of the Special Prosecutor, adding “I still hope it will add value to the fight against corruption. I don’t think the law enforcement solution to fighting corruption is adequate.”

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has assured Ghanaians Mr. Amidu will “bite soon” as efforts are being put in place to resource him in the fight against corruption.