The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu has hit hard at former President, John Dramani Mahama for labelling him as a coward by deferring investigations into the controversial Airbus bribery scandal.
It would be recalled that Mr. Amidu in his corruption risk assessment report on the Agyapa deal gave an update on his investigation of the Airbus scandal and said he is convinced John Mahama was involved in wrongdoing.
He also said he was holding on with the probe into Mr. Mahama’s alleged involvement in the infamous scandal till after the December 7 general elections.
But Mr. Mahama said the Special Prosecutor’s deferment was just an attempt to protect the government from the controversy surrounding the transaction.
In his latest response to the former President, Mr. Amidu said the comments from Mr. Mahama shows the latter’s lack of understanding of issues of security and intelligence.
“The long public service of the Special Prosecutor spanning various aspects of security and intelligence from the period of 1982 to 7th January 2001 and July 2009 to January 2012 makes him more experienced in determining when it is not conducive to the national security interest to foolhardily take certain law and order actions. The Special Prosecutor owes that exercise of discretion to his vast experience over the years, his responsibility to maintain national stability and his conscience as a patriotic anti-corruption crusading Ghanaian.”
He added: “there is no question of stupidity or cowardice about it. Any person aspiring to be President of Ghana for a second term who does not know that a cardinal principle in security and intelligence is that “caution is the better part of valour” was not and is not worth the vote”.
Meanwhile, Martin Amidu who has defended Mahama’s culpability in the bribery scandal has also challenged the former to voluntarily submit himself to be interrogated over the case.
“Your Excellency, the wise and the brave former President John Dramani Mahama, man-up, wise-up, and be brave enough to come with two lawyers of your own choice to be cautioned and interrogated by this Office to demonstrate your valour and wisdom as not being elected Government Official 1 and also as not being the first guarantor to Samuel Adam Mahama’s passport application,” Amidu said in a statement issued on Monday, November 9, 2020.
What Mahama said
John Mahama accused the Special Prosecutor of deliberately mentioning his name and the Airbus scandal in the Agyapa report in a bid to equalize wrongdoing.
The former President said Martin Amidu’s move was only a diversionary tactic.
“If you have investigated Airbus, present a report on Airbus. Since you know the Agyapa report will be damning on the government, you chipped in a paragraph on Airbus. Nobody asked you about Airbus. If you were man enough, present two separate reports on the Agyapa Royalty deal and the Airbus scandal [so I can respond to you].”
“If you think I have been indicted on the Airbus scandal, accuse me directly. But because he is a coward and knew the Agyapa royalties deal will be discussed today, he chipped in a paragraph on Airbus to equalise the discussion,” he added.
Read the Special Prosecutor’s full statement below
