Martin Amidu’s ‘illegal’ office earmarked for demolition by Accra Mayor

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has earmarked Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu’s office for likely demolition over lack of appropriate construction permits, MyNewsGh.com has filed.

The AMA has therefore instructed for the permit to be produced. The warning was issued on 16th of January, 2019 to the office.

The Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah, said on our sister media outlet CitiFM’s Eyewitness News that the office of the Special Prosecutor had to provide his office with their permits before they would be allowed to continue with the construction.

“Certainly, they don’t have permits… We don’t know that it is for the special prosecutors’ office. Whoever the property belongs to, certainly has to apply to the appropriate authority for a permit. The permit is not for us to even charge a fee… It is for us to have proper records of all properties in Accra.”

“They should just notify us and furnish us with the documentation as to what exactly they want to do. We will approve it and that ends it,” he said.

This new ‘illegal’ office of Mr Amidu was given out following complaints by Mr. Amidu about a ‘hencoop’ which was allocated to him by the government at Labone which he said was “too small” and “inconvenient” if he must succeed in the fight against graft.

President Nana Akufo-Addo gave his Presidential Assent to five Bills on 2nd January 2018, but the one most Ghanaians remember and followed is that which established the Office of the Special Prosecutor, following its passage by Parliament on November 14.

The specialized agency is to investigate acts of corruption involving public officers, politically exposed persons, and persons in the private sector involved in the commission of corruption. The office also has the power to prosecute persons engaged in acts of corruption on the authority of the Attorney-General.

“My hope and expectation is that the establishment of this Office is going to be an important step in our collective determination to root out corruption from the public life of our country. All of us know that it has been a major bane in the development of Ghana.