Special Prosecutor has no mandate to probe PDS deal – Maurice Ampaw backs Martin Amidu

Private legal practitioner, Dr. Maurice Ampaw, has agreed with the call by the Special Prosecutor Mr. Martin Amidu not to investigate the rot in the scandalous Power Distribution Service (PDS) deal because he (Amidu) has no mandate to do so.

Dr. Maurice Ampaw believed Martin Amidu needs not to be misconstrued for his genuine statement on his Office’s mandate on the PDS brouhaha because the law that established his office in 2018 prohibits him from investigating financial and economic related scandals.

Speaking on Otec FM’s evening political talk shows ‘Dwaberem’ on Thursday, August 8, 2019, hosted by Agya Owusu Ansah, the maverick legal practitioner maintained that the only way the Special Prosecutor could be mandated to fighting fraud-related cases would be “when the act is amended in Parliament to further expand the business of his office”.

“As it stands now the Special Prosecutor’s hands are tied to fight fraud. Mr Martin Amidu was made to believe that he was over-powerful to fight every fraud and corruption cases in the eyes of the public but that was not the case in the face of his mandate”.

A section of Ghanaians including civil society groups such as Good Governance Advocacy Group Ghana (GGAGG) have served notice to petition Mr. Martin Amidu and his office to investigate the circumstances surrounding the suspension of the government’s concession agreement with the (PDS) Ghana Limited.

But Mr. Martin Amidu in a statement said his office cannot probe the PDS saga, per his mandates.

In connivance with Mr. Martin Amidu, Dr. Maurice Ampaw emphatically posited that Mr. Amidu “cannot be blamed for his failure to investigate and prosecute because the framers of the law that established the office, who are mainly politicians, deliberately came up with the act to make him extremely ineffective”.



Dr Maurice Ampaw insisted,” as it stands now the Special Prosecutor can only investigate corruption cases but fraud that is involved financial and economic issues. The issue of fraud is more encompassing and widespread, and that must be the core business of his office. Most crimes committed by our politicians and top government officials are all fraud-related so his mandate needs to be expanded to cover the fraud as well.”