A-G Martin Amidu is a flop

With the tons of evidence given him on a silver platter to enable him nail former officials of state involved in acts ranging from thievery, graft and causing financial loss to the state right down to murder, the inability of Martin Amidu, Ghana’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, to even prosecute a single case in court marks him out as a big flop in the NDC government.

Martin Amidu’s appointment early last year as AG & Minister of Justice had been met with the expectation that he will quicken the pace of prosecution of those members of the Kufuor government who stole state money, committed murder or willfully caused financial loss to the state. But, alas, he has been a total disaster, unable to live up to even half of what was expected of him.

In her judgement in theCalf cocoa Vrs Attorney-General case, the trial judge, after awarding a cost of $3,355million against the state together with interest, observing the way NPP officials had deliberately caused Ghana to lose such a staggering amount had this to say : “It is sad to say the least public officials who are entrusted with the public good and who are expected to act in utmost good faith will so create a situation which will result in creating financial loss situation in the country.”

This comment by the judge clearly indicts the officials of the NPP government who refused to honour a Ghana Government Agreement with Calf cocoa, compelling this Ghana-Chinese venture to go to court and win such a colossal sum from the state. All any serious Attorney-General will do is hurl these officials before a court for causing financial loss to the state. Unfortunately, even in this simple matter, Martin Amidu has failed to deliver.

So many cases have been begging for Martin Amidu’s attention to be prosecuted in court but he has refused to do so for reasons that are difficult to fathom. Some of the files gathering dust on his desk are completed investigative works by our security establishments and contain evidence which any first year law student can use to secure judgment against an accused person in court.

Among these cases are investigations conducted into a case of stealing and forgery involving Boakye Agyarko, the NPP parliamentary Candidate for the Ayawaso-Wuogon constituency. This file has been on Martin Amidu’s desk for so many months. Why has he not dealt with it?

Again, the AG has failed to prosecute those who dissipated the ¢1.5billion accruing from the Petroleum Recovery Levy debt and which was meant only for that purpose.

Then also is the final investigative report into the several cases against Sheila Sackey, the young lady who had been appointed Head of the Presidential Estates in the Kufuor Administration and had thus been responsible for the Independence Square, Peduase Lodge, Banquet Hall, the Castle, Australian House and other safe houses under the Presidency. What is Martin Amidu waiting for to deal with this matter?

In the matter of the murder of Mr. Roko Frimpong, the Deputy-Managing Director of the Ghana Commercial Bank, the AG’s department claimed that it had arrested the murderers who have confessed to the act. This claim compelled the security agencies to release soldiers it had arrested for this same crime. Why then has the AG failed to prosecute the self-confessed murderers?

Daily Posthas also picked up that the security agencies have completed investigations into the murder of a policeman in the house of the Volta Regional Minister, Kofi Dzamesi, during the NPP regime. The investigations revealed that one Cpl. Ebenezer Owusu was the one who shot and killed his colleague at the Minister’s Residence. The file of this case is yawning on Martin Amidu’s desk.

Clearly, Mr. Martin Amidu has flopped big time as the Attorney-General of Ghana. He simply has not got what it takes to ensure justice in the country.

More Anon.