Martin Amidu Faces Parliament Feb 13

All eyes will be on Parliament on February 13, 2018 as the Appointments Committee of Parliament (ACP) vets the nominee for the position of Special Prosecutor, Mr Martin Amidu.

The Chairman of the ACP, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, told the Daily Graphic on Tuesday that from now to February 6, 2018, the committee would receive memoranda from the public intended to share any information about Mr Amidu with the committee.

After receiving the memoranda, the committee is expected to review them before it sits on February 13, 2018.

Mr Osei-Owusu said the vetting would last a day, but if it became necessary, it could be extended to another day.

He said members of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and the Judiciary Committee who would appear at the vetting might be permitted to ask Mr Amidu questions.

Background

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appointed Mr Amidu, popularly called Citizen Vigilante for his anti-corruption crusade, as the Special Prosecutor.

Mr Amidu’s appointment came as a shock to many, as he is a member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), although he had been critical of his party in government.

The President communicated Mr Amidu’s appointment to Parliament last week and the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, consequently referred the appointment to the ACP for consideration and report.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor is a specialised agency to investigate specific cases of corruption involving public officers, politically exposed persons and persons in the private sector involved in the commission of corruption and prosecute the offences on the authority of the Attorney-General.

The establishment of the Office of Special Prosecutor was one of the key campaign promises of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Source: Graphic Online