WHY AMIDU WAS SACKED A tale of lies, corrupt deals and Presidentail cover-ups

The official verdict sold to Ghanaians by Chief of Staff John Henry Martey Newman on why former Attorney-General Mr. Martin Amidu lost his portfolio in the deceased President John Evans Atta Mills government was that the former Minister of Justice mis-conducted himself before the late President of the Republic of Ghana.

However, two documents in the possession of The Chronicle suggest that the one-man Citizen Vigilante was sent away, because he was standing in the way of gargantuan fraud perpetrated by officials of the government and the ruling party, executive cover-ups, and outright deception of the people of Ghana by men and women who are all on oath to be faithful to Ghana.

On January 20, 2012, a day after Mr. Amidu's dismissal had been communicated to the good people of Ghana through a press release signed by the Chief of Staff, Mr. Martey Newman, citing misconduct, Mr. Amidu wrote to the Chief of Staff protesting strongly about the inherent lies communicated to the good people of Ghana on his dismissal.

According to Mr. Amidu, at the meeting at which he was supposed to have mis-conducted himself, he had insisted on prosecuting three dockets submitted to his office by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service, concerning deals involving the Ghana Oil Palm Plantation, three different offences committed by the Acting Chief Fire Officer and other colleagues, and the supposed settlement in respect of the EO Group.

'I spoke strongly about interference in my prosecutorial powers under Article 88 of the Constitution, in relation to three dockets submitted by Police CID to the Attorney-General in the Forensic Audit and Criminal Investigations into the Ghana Oil Palm Development Company (GOPDC)-SIAT Ghana Affair; three dockets submitted by the Police CID to the Attorney-General for prosecuting in respect of three different offences committed by the Acting Chief Fire Officer and other colleagues of his; and finally, I spoke about the conduct of the President in the supposed settlement of the E.O. Group's criminal case, and the request to me to issue indemnity for the transaction, stating that the Republic will not prosecute the case,' Mr. Amidu stated in a protest letter to the Chief of Staff.

He recalled various letters written to the Chief of Staff and other officials of state, including the President and Vice-President, when the public purse was under attack by leading personnel in this administration.

'You may also wish to call for my letter No. D19/SF.9 – dated 9 th September 2011, addressed to the Director of CID on 'investigations into the procurement malpractices in the purchase of Ten (10) Fire Fighting Motorbikes by the Ghana National Fire Service and other related Procurement Malpractices,' and copied to the Minister of Interior and the Director of Public Prosecutions, among others, directing the Director of CID to ensure that exhibits in the three cases were not disposed off, as the government intended to do, through the Directorate of the Fire Service.

(The Deputy Attorney-General, Mr. Ebo Barton-Odro, was instructed by the President to take control of the three dockets, which he did on 22 nd July, 2011, from the DPP's office to prevent prosecution).

In the opinion of Mr. Martin Amidu, 'repeating what is contained in these letters at the meeting on Friday 13 January, 2012 (the meeting with the President), cannot constitute misconduct under the 1992 Constitution. It is a defence of the Constitution under Article 3 and 88 of the Constitution. The government and you are rather contravening the supremacy of the Constitution guaranteed under the Article 1 thereof.'

Mr. Amidu claimed that in his letter No. D.45/SF.173/10 dated 6 th January, 2012, on 'Why the Government must set aside the default judgment in the Woyome case,' and addressed to the President and the Vice-President, and copied to the Chief of Staff, 'exposes all the lies about your alleged misconduct. And you should, in the public interest, cause this letter to be published for the people of Ghana to make their own judgment on my conduct.'

Mr. Amidu told the Chief of Staff that he appeared to have missed the point that he joined the government as a result of the personal trust he had in the deceased President, and his friendship with him.

'I have a parting thought: It is our constitutional duty as Ministers of this Republic to uphold the truth and defend justice to the end; that we save our party and government from any embarrassment, even to the peril of our being dismissed from office, than to keep quiet for our party and government to be damned by timidity,' Mr. Amidu stated finally.

On September 11, 2012, Mr. Amidu wrote to the President of the Ghana Bar Association, asking for a thorough investigation into the circumstances under which the Chief of Staff, Mr. Martey Newman, also a lawyer, communicated a pack of lies to the good people of Ghana on the circumstances leading to his dismissal.

'I am writing to you now, because I do not want the term of office of the government of which Mr. John H.M. Newman is the Chief of Staff to end on 7 th January 2013, without him having supported his barren allegations of professional misconduct against me as Attorney-General to the GBA or the General Legal Council. Mr. John H.M. Newman is a lawyer, and knows that he has an obligation under the Legal Profession.'