Kwabena Amikaketo sat in his favourite chair on his balcony, viewing the setting sun which was slowing making way for the shadows to grow longer and soon cover his part of the world like a dark blanket.
That evening he got to the balcony much earlier than he used to. Today, he was fuming with rage. He was livid because someone had betrayed another person who picked him up from the dirt and dusted him down to make him look appealing and respectable. But, in the end, this man turned his back against his redeemer and lied big time about him.
It was the current matter streaming in town between President Akufo-Addo and the just-resigned Special Persecutor, Mr Martin Alamisi Kaiser Burns Amidu.
Kwabena was very mad at both gentlemen, and for the first time, he decided to take on the man he admired most, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He should have known the character of Martin Amidu before trusting him with any position. Could it be that his close friend, Rawlings, who believed so much in Martin Amidu, was the one who proposed the man to him to be employed as the Special Persecutor?
What at all informed the mind of the President to have chosen Martin Amidu? Could it be that, because Martin elected himself to be the thorn in the flesh of his own party and government, Nana Addo took him as a friend to be trusted? Is the enemy of your enemy necessarily your friend? That was the question Kwabena Amikaketo would have asked the President, if he had the opportunity.
Now who was the former Special Persecutor, Martin Amidu? How incorruptible was he? Was he not the man who, in 2001, applied for admission in a US university for a residence course and stated that he was then a Minister of State? Was it not true that in 2001, specifically from January 7, his party was out of government and he held no position of state? Was he not the one who created a position for himself, calling himself the shadow vice president, because he was the running mate of John Evans Atta Mills? So why should he, if he were a man of credit, apply for studies in his capacity as a current minister of state, when he knew he was not?
Martin Amidu was appointed Attorney General/Minister of Justice during the National Democratic Congress (NDC), JEA Mills’ administration. He is on record of allowing Anita de Sosoo to walk freely after she run her SUV through some youth at Atiwa during the by-election.
He later on run into credibility problems with his employer, the President. During the deliberations, Martin Amidu misconducted himself and verbally assaulted H.E. John Evans Atta Mills, and even went to the extent of almost being physical on the father of the country. Whatever went into his mind to put decency aside and want to beat up the President? He cannot be said to be normal to disrespect the country called Ghana. When he was asked to explain himself on a matter, he almost beat up the President.
Kwabena Amikaketo could just not understand why Nana Addo picked Amidu to occupy that position. Martin Amidu’s own party rejected him on these charges. He was indisciplined, violated laws, and was very erratic among others; Amidu was a bitter man who would cloud his sense of good judgment just to seek revenge on people at any cost, and he was not credible; he was a liar; he was not trustworthy, and he can even lie under oath. Kwabena was shocked, noting these about Amidu from the NDC guru, Sammy Gyamfi, and today, the ex-Special Persecutor had never come out to challenge these allegations.
Kwabena tossed issues in his head and asked himself over and over again whether the late Jerry John Rawlings was the one who asked the President to pick Amidu for the job. To him, it could be most likely, and Amidu saw in Jerry the one who employed him and not Nana Addo, the current President, because, here is Amidu being given an assignment by the President to look into the Agyapa Deal. He completed the work and came out with his recommendations and conclusions, and instead of giving the report to the President, he went to give it to Rawlings and asked him to forward it to the President. How does this work out? Where does Jerry come in? It is like Martin Amidu is saying that in the chain of command in his outfit he has to forward all reports to the President through Jerry John Rawlings. Is he saying that the late ex-president was the Chief Special Persecutor, a position not known to Ghanaians, and not even in our statutes? This confirms the indiscipline, lack of credibility and lawlessness of the one paid by the state to catch thieves and crooks.
Martin Amidu has another problem, and that was what Kwabena called acts of a spoilt child. After he was sworn into office, the government went with him to hunt for an office building. He saw one which was actually a two-storey building with two ground floor buildings on a plot. Amidu fell in love with it, and the government started the necessary renovation works. Then Amidu went out and found another property which belonged to the Ghana National Trading Corporation (GNTC), and boom, he preferred this toy, rather. The government stopped work on the first property and started work on the second to get it in good shape for an office. As work was going on, Amidu comes out again and insists that he had found another property which he preferred. And, again, the government stopped work and started looking at the new one, which was a ten-storey building. Amidu claimed he does not want to share blocks with any one, because his outfit needed to remain protected at all times.
After what looked like he would not come out with any other preference again, the government, led by the Chief of Staff, went all out to bring the place up to the specifications of Martin Amidu. The fact is, it has never happened that when a new ministry, department or agency (MDA) and a new constitutional body is set up, the Chief of Staff at the Presidency must leave his or her job and go fitting tiles, cupboards, chest of drawers, cleaning windows, sweeping, laying concrete and what have you, before that head of that ministry of whatever walks in to take office.
There are agencies which take up that responsibility, and the head of the MDA or constitutional body is to be on the ground to advice on what should be done. But not Martin Amidu, who even when keys to the new building were presented to him, refused to collect them, perhaps, insisting that the President should do that presentation. Is he still thinking that as a one-time shadow vice president, he should have been full time president by now, and so he strongly believes he must be recognised and treated as such?
And, again, Martin Amidu is saying his outfit was underfunded, when, in truth, Kwabena read somewhere that the Office of Special Persecutor was allocated GH¢510,182,653.40 by the Government of Ghana over the three years, 2018, 2019 and 2020, and Amidu sourced out only 25.29% or GH¢129,061,189.52. And seriously, is he blaming the government or what?
He complained that he was understaffed, yet, in 2019, when he was given the clearance to recruit 249 staff, he could not. Again, in 2020, he was given the clearance to recruit staff, and he only recruited two and had to rely on staff from another ministry and department who were only on secondment.
Martin Amidu’s character of throwing tantrums over what he wants became evident when he was allocated an SUV for his office. He complained that the colour was not that of his choice. He was given another one, and he claimed he saw some light on the dashboard screen, and believed the vehicle had been bugged. Seriously, as an investigator, why could he not first call experts to find out what that light was indicating for? It was an indicator to warn the driver that the tire pressure was low. Even after this, when the tires were pumped and the light went off, Amidu insisted he needed a new SUV.
Kwabena Amekaketo wondered what sort of person Martin Amidu was. Just to occupy one office, look at the financial losses to the state he had committed. Renovation works of three offices buildings of which he intended to pick only one, and now changing of official SUVs came in. And in all this he reported that his appointment letter was handed over to him two years after he was sworn into office. And what does that mean? Is he trying to tell Ghanaians that due to these all works done prior to the arrival of that letter will be scrapped as null and void?
Martin Amidu should know that the letter he received from the President in a scroll of national colours was his appointment letter proper. The one he received later was only detailing his salary and other benefits, that is all. No minister or other government appointee gets details of his appointment when he receives that scroll from the President.
Kwabena Amikaketo looked at the six major cases Martin Amidu handled. Firstly, it was the Hon Freddie Blay Campaign Promise of One Bus One Constituency, and what was the fuss here? The man promised, but failed to execute, so why chase him for being corrupt? Secondly, Mahama Ayariga’s Abuse of Office. Martin complained about chiefs and elders visiting him to intercede for Hon Ayariga. Okay. Thirdly, the Charles Bissue Galamsey Scandal, and the man has been cleared by the courts. Fourthly, the PPA Contract for Sale. This work was perfectly executed by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and its recommendations respected by the President. Now after someone had done the work, Martin Amidu has come claiming that the work was not well executed. Fifthly, the Airbus Scandal. This story broke from abroad and all Martin Amidu could do is tell ex-president John D. Mahama that if he thinks he is a man, he should step in his office. Is that all he can do about this case? And sixthly, the Agyapa Risk Assessment. Martin Amidu claimed he had done thorough work on this one. And when he came up with his recommendations, he was so much afraid to take it personally to the President, so he had to send ex-president Jerry John Rawlings. But here Kwabena asked himself, whether any monies had been taken from Ghana’s coffers and put in the comfort of someone’s pocket under this deal?
Kwabena Amikaketo suddenly felt sad for the President. He wanted the best for this country in all things, including the justice system. He set up an Office of Special Persecutor and picked Martin Amidu. But, Martin, who had fallen out with his party, used this opportunity to embarrass the President in this election year, so that he can become most welcome in the NDC to give him opportunity to contest its presidential primary in 2020.
Echele came to usher her father to supper, Kwabena had no choice but to follow his daughter.
Hon Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s editorial stance
The post Memoires and Lamentations of Kwabena Amikaketo (19) Is the Enemy of Your Enemy Necessarily Your Friend? appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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