Set Up A Commission Of Inquiry To Investigate The Brazil Air -Craft Saga Under Prof.mills

Dear Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo Addo................

I have for some time now as a public interest advocate refused the temptation to openly write to your outfit as a reminder of the biggest scandal that rocked this country under former President J.E.A Mills.At this material point in time, let me defy the odds and do the needful.

Mr President, you won the 2016 general election on your spirited call to nip the nation's canker in the bud for the good people of Ghana. In your quest to prove to Ghanaians your solemn affirmation to the fight against corruption, you nicely inserted in your manifesto a promise to create an office of the special prosecutor who would have the wherewithal to deal with corruption and its related offences prosecutable under the criminal offences Act,1960(Act 29) respectively.

Sir, your opponent at that time made mockery of this pledge during the 2016 general elections. Ghanaians rejected their senseless mockery and overwhelmingly voted you into power due to your impregnable record as a freedom fighter and a staunch anti-corruption crusader. It was not as if you had the luck on your side, It was because Ghanaians were fed up with the unbridled looting of the public purse that characterized the previous government.

In 2017 after you were sworn in as president of the Republic of Ghana, you instructed the Attorney General to craft a bill to be laid in parliament for the establishment of the office of an independent prosecutor. Your opponent who was put to shame for fulfilling the promise they made mockery of in 2016 mounted a strong objection to the bill. They even described the bill as unconstitutional and threatened to shoot it down at the Supreme court.

When they realized their objection was an affront to the fight against corruption, they shifted from their previous position and placed premium on they very person you were going to appoint as the special prosecutor. They made their own nomination and put out names perceived to be affiliated to the NPP. Names like Akoto Ampaw and Philip Addison were all put out to create the mischievous impression that, the office would only bite members of the opposition party and not members of your government.

The good people of Ghana were immobilized with shock when the long serving Attorney General in the history of Ghana was named the special prosecutor. The very man who became your opponent both in politics and as a legal practitioner in most of the cases you handled in court. One particular example of the very case you had it tough with the man you appointed as the special prosecutor was Republic v Mensah Bonsu.

At that point in time Mr. Martin Alamisi Amidu was a deputy Attorney General in 1996 under the Rawlings regime. He was a founding member of the National Democratic Congress even before you appointed him. Again, the NDC had problems with that appointment and described his appointment as a target because of how he was treated under Mills regime.

Sir, many people are not aware of the fact that, his unfortunate removal from office as an Attorney General in 2011 informed your idea to set up the office of the special prosecutor with a security of tenure. Mr Martin Amidu was removed from office as a political appointee when he was preparing to prosecute people in government who facilitated the woyome unconstitutional loot.

Mr.Martin Alamisi Amidu didn't relent as a citizen Vigilante for Justice, he went to the supreme court of Ghana and pursued the civil aspect of the matter and won the case for Ghanaians on review. The fruit benefit of his sweat has given the current Attorney General to trace all his properties which the previous NDC government couldn't do in six years before they exited office. What is left now is a pending ruling on inter-pleader applications filed by some people on claims that, some of Woyome's properties attached by the state were used by the judgement debtor as collateral for loans obtained by himself.

Sir, You were in Ghana as an opposition leader when Late Prof.Mills complained bitterly about some Air-craft purchased for the Ghana Army. At that time, Mr Martin Alamisi Amidu was the Attorney General. I want to draw your attention to an article published by Mr.Amidu Alamisi Amidu on 2nd December,2016.

In that atricle, the longest serving Attorney General in the history of Ghana reminded Ghanaians how Prof.Mills became convinced of the necessity to set up a committee to investigate the hue and cry about prices for the acquisition of five(5) air craft for the Ghana Armed forces in July,2011.

He made it quite clear that,"the commitee was tasked to investigate the processes of the acquisition of the five air craft including Embraer 190 air craft and hangar for the Ghana Armed forces consisting of Mr William Aboah, Mr George Amoah and Brig.Gen.Allotey (Rtd) and former Judge advocate General was put together."

According to Mr.Martin Alamisi Amidu he was tasked to draft the terms of reference for the committee.It is also clear that, former president Mahama who was the vice president under Mills was put under investigation because of the role he played in the acquisition of the five air craft. For the avoidance of doubt, let me reproduce the exact words of the distinguished eminent lawyer whose credibility has never been in doubt. He said and i quote

" *The suspected corruption involving President Mahama, then the vice president, was covered up because pressure groups never allowed the committee to take off. The future of the committee was compromised for good when upon becoming president, this president appointed the Chairman of the Committee as his National Security Adviser, whom he dispensed with not long after to shut him up. The revelations of endemic corruption in Brazil over the past few years should alert everyone as to what happened during the aircraft purchases from Brazil. It is not too late, a new government can look into it*

Mr president, you owe it a duty to activate Article 278 of the constitution of the Republic of Ghana to look into this matter again to deepen the confidence of Ghanaians in your fight against looting of the public purse. We have had alot of commission of inquiries in this country and all of them were constituted to address matters of public interest.

The article under reference Mr Martin Amidu wrote cannot on any day be taken for granted, He activated section 1 of whistle Blowers Act,2006(Act 720). Your inaugural speech charged Ghanaians not be spectators but rather citizens. As a responsible citizen of Ghana, i deem it fit to draw your attention to this serious issue that ought to be tackled.

Dawda Eric(Equity)

Citizen Vigilance for Justice

13th May,2019

[email protected]