Don't use Special Prosecutor office for vengeance — Akuffo-Addo

President Akufo-Addo has admonished the country’s first Special Prosecutor (SP), Mr Martin A.B.K. Amidu not to use his office as an avenue for vengeance against his adversaries but to use it to deal ruthlessly with the soaring state of corruption in public life.

According to him, the overwhelming support Ghanaians have given to Mr Amidu since his nomination through vetting was an indication that Ghanaians have become intolerant with the canker of corruption that has robbed the country of its development.

“The Ghanaian people expect the office of the SP to rise to the challenge and to the occasion and collaborate with other existing law enforcement agencies to fight relentlessly and help eliminate corruption in our public life,” he said.

Swearing-in

President Akufo-Addo made the remarks when he swore in Mr Amidu as the SP at the seat of government in Accra on Friday.

He said “the establishment of the SP is for a high purpose and must not under any circumstances be used as an avenue for persecution or vengeance. The office will be required to do justice to all manner of persons”.

He said the independence of the office of the SP would go a long way to help the fight against corruption in the country without any interference from the executive or the judiciary.

President Akufo-Addo said the recent publication of Ghana’s score in 2017 Corruption Perception Index published by the Transparency International (which saw Ghana dropping 11 places from the 2016 ranking to place 81 out of 180 countries), was a source of worry and indicates the enormity of corruption in the country.

Duties

He, therefore, admonished the SP to discharge his duties without fear or favour in order to achieve the purpose for which the office was set up.

He, however, extolled Mr Amidu’s capabilities of rising to the occasion, saying his eloquence and grasp of issues he displayed during his vetting demonstrated the soundness of his appointment.

President Akufo-Addo promised that the state would provide the office of the SP with the needed logistics to enable him to discharge his duties.

Acceptance

In his acceptance remarks, Mr Amidu said he would work to prove his critics wrong as his office would not be used to witch-hunt his perceived adversaries.

“Mr President, I wish to assure you that the propaganda about witch-hunting will not daunt me from prosecuting all corruption crimes without reference to political considerations as you had yourself admonished,” he stated.

He said he accepted the offer to be the SP based on the integrity the President has demonstrated over the years.

“I would not have accepted to come to this job if I did not trust your excellence’s integrity and honour”, he said, pledging that he would work to discharge the duties of his office diligently.

Mr Amidu said he had no ill intentions against his supposed adversaries, saying “I will treat crime as crime and nothing else”.