Starr News has exclusively obtained a copy of a petition filed by former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu, calling for the dismissal of the current Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng.
The petition, submitted to President Nana Akufo-Addo on April 30, 2024, and forwarded to Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo on May 6, 2024, outlines six major allegations against Agyebeng, including various misconduct such as the abuse of citizens’ rights through arrests and detention, and refusal to comply with RTI requests, among four other points.
In a move that has the country talking, the Former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu alleges that the current Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has recruited staff from sister law enforcement agencies, particularly the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) and the Ghana Police Service, by offering them higher salaries and elevated ranks. Mr. Amidu has attached resignation letters, which he officially obtained from EOCO, of staff members who are now employed at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). Additionally, he included Right to Information (RTI) requests he submitted to the Ghana Police Service, seeking the names and ranks of officers who have resigned to join the OSP. While the Police Service did not provide official resignation letters, they did supply a written summary in response to his request.
Mr. Martin Amidu’s petition states that the president should have appointed staff to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), and not the Special Prosecutor himself. Amidu alleges that the SP exceeded his powers by hiring three directors without a board in place. Amidu explained that when he was in power, he sought secondment of staff to his office with the president’s approval, even without a board. However, Mr. Kissi Agyebeng did not seek the president’s approval.
He also accused Kissi Agyebeng of violating the rights of citizens, such as Former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah, Professor Frimpong Boateng, Joseph Adu Kyei, and others, in terms of how their cases were handled by the office. Mr. Amidu also included the entire set of documents related to the Cecilia Dapaah case filed at the High Court to support this claim.
Martin Amidu also alleged that the OSP dismisses judicial decisions, which he argues is tantamount to an abuse of the judiciary. Consequently, Amidu believes that this provides sufficient grounds for his dismissal.
The former prosecutor called for the dismissal of Kissi Agyebeng on grounds that the S.P. had breached procurement rules in refurbishing the new office complex and procuring vehicles.
The last point of the petition highlights the OSP’s refusal to grant him information though he had filed several Right To Information requests.
For now, there has been no official response from Kissi Agyebeng or his office regarding the allegations.
Martin Amidu, who held the office of the Special Prosecutor from January 2018 to November 2020, filed the petition per Article 146 of the Constitution.
By section 15 of the Special Prosecutor’s Act, Mr. Martin Amidu’s petition was sent to the president and has subsequently been directed to the Chief Justice, who has asked the current S.P. to comment on the petition.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
