President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed that all emoluments and benefits due Mr Martin Amidu be paid to him after accepting the former Special Prosecutor’s resignation letter.
A letter signed by the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, also noted that the President has taken note of the other matters Mr Amidu raised in his resignation letter and the government will issue a statement responding to them in due course.
Mr Amidu resigned effective Monday, 16 November 2020.
According to him, President Nana Akufo-Addo was interfering with the performance of his duties in relation to the corruption and anti-corruption risk assessment he did on the controversial Agyapa Royalties Transaction.
Mr Amidu said the President attempted to convince him to include a response from Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta in his report, which he declined because “that would have compromised my independence as the Special Prosecutor.”
Mr Amidu, in his corruption and anti-corruption risk assessment report on the Agyapa deal, said the Transaction Advisor(s) involved in the deal were susceptible to “nepotism, cronyism and favouritism”.
In his resignation letter addressed to the President, the Special Prosecutor further disclosed that Nana Akufo-Addo wanted him to “shelve” the report on the Agyapa deal.
He wrote: “I also refused to shelve my report to enable you handle the matter, which explains my press release to the public on the morning of 2 November 2020 and the follow-up with the distribution of the full 64-page Agyapa Royalties Transactions Anti-corruption Assessment Report to the Public.”
He further explained: “Unbeknownst to you that I had published the full 64-page report to the public, you caused a press statement to be made based on my letter dated 16 October 2020 to you under reference which sought to politicise and downplay the seriousness of the professional analysis of the risk of corruption and anti-corruption assessment reported by my office”.
“It, thus, became abundant clear to me that I cannot continue under your government as the special prosecutor because we disagree with the non-partisan independence of the special prosecutor in the performance of the functions of my office in preventing and fighting corruption and corruption-related offences.”
