Rawlings Reduced Corruption, Take It Or Leave It--Amidu

The Special Prosecutor-nominee, Martin Amidu says regardless of all the ill spoken about the former president, Jerry John Rawlings, he did a good job at tackling corruption during his tenure.

Speaking at his vetting on Tuesday, the man who described himself as "the best choice" for the job by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said, although Mr Rawlings did not completely eliminate the cancker, it was reduced drastically when he was president.

“…Whatever anyone says about him [Rawling] he reduced corruption and graft to the barest minimum; he didn’t abolish it,” he said.

Martin Amidu popularly called Citizen Vigilante was appointed by the president, Nana Akufo-Addo as the Special Prosecutor nominee in fulfilment of his campaign promise.

Mr Amidu with President Akufo-Addo and the Vice President Dr Mawumia on the day he was announced as Special Prosecutor

In a bid to do away with complaints of witch-hunting, the president promised to establish a Special Prosecutor office, independent of the Attorney-General, to prosecute corruption offences in public office.

On January 11, the president named Amidu as the man to steer the affairs of the new office, much to the excitement of many Ghanaians and civil society organisations.

A former Attorney-General under the late John Mills administration and a member of the NDC, Martin Amidu is credited for his tenacity in the judgement debt scandal he fought as a private citizen and won against Alfred Woyome, Waterville and Isofoton.

The president believes Amidu’s commitment to rule of law, his passion to fight crime and corruption in public service, makes him the best candidate for the office.

In a response to a question from Member of Parliament for Tema East, Daniel Nii Kwatei Titus-Glover as to why the nominee mentioned Mr Rawlings as his reference on his CV, Mr Amidu said there was no better person.

“He was the one who brought me into politics by appointing me from 1982 as an investigator through to 983 as a PNDC secretary. I served under him until January 2001.

“If there is anybody who knows about me, it must be him, and if I am an anti-corruption crusader who is defending the corruption, who better than him,” he asked.

Mr Amidu said serving under the former president in these roles, has given him the tenacity to carry out his fight against corruption and he has no doubt that he will excel as the Special Prosecutor.

Comments by the former president that President Akufo-Addo couldn't have made a better choice with his selection for the office , for him, was humbling and “he is the only person who can say it.”