Corruption Resigns Amidu, Who protects the Public Purse?

Something is hunting in this country. Dormelevo was haunted and chased out for chasing corruption. Amidu has been haunted and chased out for chasing corruption. Manasseh; haunted and chased out for exposing corruption. Suale; haunted, chased and killed for exposing corruption.

We are living in a corrupt country which will only become more corrupt, and Martin Amidu is waking us up.  Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live. Proverbs 15:27 

Upon the appointment of Martin Amidu as the Special Prosecutor, Ghana saw the light that carried our hope and armour to axe corruption and build a deep grave for the canker. Martin Amidu has laid down his tool, corruption kicked him out of office.

Mr Amidu listed the corruption and corruption-related offences apportioned for investigation and prosecution by the Office of The Special Prosecutor whiles in officer.

Key takeaways from the runaway prophet ordained to fight corruption as the Special Prosecutor:

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The following are the offences created under Act 959:

(a) Section 146 deals with dishonestly receiving property that a person knows to have been obtained or appropriated by a punishable criminal offence

(b) Section 151 deals with persons who extorts property from any other person by means of threat as committing a second degree felony.

(c) Section 179C deals with using public office for private gain as a criminal offence.

(d) Section 239 deals with corruption of and by public officers as a misdemeanor.

(e) Section 252 deals with accepting or giving bribe to influence public officer or juror as a misdemeanor.

(f) Section 253 deals with corrupt promise by judicial officer or juror as a misemeanour.

(g) Section 254 deals with corrupt selection of juror as a misdemeanor

(h) Section 256 deals with corruption, intimidation, and personation in respect of election as a misdemeanor

(i) Section 258 deals with falsification of returns at election as a second degree felony, and

(j) Section 260 deals with withholding public money by public officer as a misdemeanour

(k) Section 92(2) of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) deals with offences constituted under the Act for which jurisdiction is given to the Office.

Apparently, the corruption fighter has been crippled with guilt over his failure to catch corrupt officials in the current government and the powerful forces trying to manipulate him into an obedient brave and silenced puppet who has refused to some extent not to allow himself to be caged any longer alas, he has broken loose.

Amidu, the Special Prosecutor was to fight bribery, embezzlement, illicit enrichment, trading in influence, and abuse of functions (which can involve favouritism and nepotism) in government and those who acted same in the previous government but his wings were clipped.

We are told Ghana is working again under the current government if that is the reality, why is Martin Amidu exiting his office? Something special is hunting Martin Amidu and it is only by freeing himself from a corrupt government that is not genuinely ready to fight this canker that he Amidu can begin to reinvent himself. The same goes for embezzlement and misappropriation of property, defined in UNCAC Article 17.

(the use of State resources to reward individuals for their electoral support); nepotism (preferential treatment of relatives); cronyism (awarding jobs and other advantages to friends or trusted colleagues); and sextortion (the demand for sexual favours as a form of payment) – all of which undermine independent or democratically representative decision-making, and fair and competitive processes in the formation or staffing of governments. Like the crimes of bribery and embezzlement, these forms of corruption are highly destructive of transparency, accountability and the rule of law.

The office of the Special Prosecutor was set with the firm promise that, it will be given all the independence to unravel all mystical corruption allegations. But Amidu has indicated that even his independence and freedom was being corrupted putting impediments in his way and work.

Jonah a Hebrew prophet was swallowed by the big fish, Martin Amidu has been scared out of office by the corruption cases he has no independence to fight.

The needed principles and efforts to fight corruption under the Nana Addo led government has been thrown to the dogs. Accountability and scrutiny (the four-eyes principle) is not working, monitoring in the form of audits, transparency measures are in danger, conflicts of interest which could lead to corruption have been institutionalized.

In the face of all these, Martin Amidu can not catch an ant and Ghana is now naked.

Source: Electionsinghana.com