Nobody Should Cry Or Beg When Special Prosecutor Takes On People By Surprise

A Deputy Chief of Staff has cautioned critics accusing government of delaying and frustrating the Special Prosecutor from carrying out his responsibility not to cry when Martin Amidu begins to crack the whip.

Abu Jinapor insists such persons must remain consistent and not accuse government of witch-hunting when the Special Prosecutor moves into full gear.

His comments are in reaction to the avalanche of criticisms that have greeted concerns raised by the Special Prosecutor about the seeming delays in passing a Legislative Instrument that will guide his activities.

Martin Amidu in a recent programme stated he has had to use his “common sense” because the legislative Instrument which by law was expected to have been laid and passed 90-days after the Special Prosecutor’s Office was set up has yet to be passed.

His office was believed and expected to be the most efficient vehicle for fighting corruption in Ghana but the office has yet to begin any serious work months after it was set up.

Amidu said there is no legislative Instrument, and does not have the core component of his staff to begin work but has had to depend on other statutory institutions to start something.

He expressed disappointment with some comments which sought to create the impression that he has been sleeping on the job.

Some opposition members have also accused the government of deliberately trying to frustrate him.

MP for Tamale Central Inusah Fuseini described Amidu as a “diligent lawyer” but expressed concern over the delay in passing the Legislative Instrument.

He said it was for a good reason that the framers of the law on creating the office of the Special Prosecutor decided to increase the grace period for the passage of the legislative instrument from seven to 90 days.

He could not tell if the delay is a deliberate act to frustrate the Special Prosecutor.

But in reaction, the Deputy Chief Of Staff Abu Jinapor admitted the delays in passing the Legislative Instrument but said the delay has nothing to do with the perceived lack of commitment by the government to fight corruption.

He said the draft legislative instrument is ready and will be laid on the floor when Parliament reconvenes.

Explaining why the legislative Instrument had delayed Abu Jinapor said it was not borne out from the lack of commitment to fight corruption.

“It was borne purely out of legal and governance constraints put on us rightly by the Parliament of Ghana,” he said.

He added before the instrument will be put together, the law required that the Board of the Special Prosecutor’s Office be constituted and a Deputy Special Prosecutor be appointed.

He said it took a while before those things were done.

Having cleared those hurdles he said government is ready to lay the document on the floor.

“It doesn’t take an overnight to establish an institution,” he stated, assuring the office will be fully functional very soon.