Martin Amidu
In few minutes Martin Amidu will appear before the Appointment Committee of Parliament to be vetted for the position of the Special Prosecutor.
Apart from the vetting, he has two big hurdles to confront- a mystery petition challenging his nomination and seeking a psychological examination for the man who was the Attorney General and on his own as private citizen won landmark cases in the judgment debt scandal involving Alfred Woyome, Waterville and Isofoton.
There is also a second hurdle, a writ filed at the Highest Court of the land challenging the nomination of Amidu on the grounds that he has exceeded the age acceptable for public service.
The petition and writ were all filed by members of the NDC, in a bid to stop the man, who remains a member of the NDC, from assuming the position of the first Special Prosecutor.
Despite these hurdles, the Appointments Committee has vowed to continue with the vetting of Amidu.
The citizen vigilante, as he has come to be known, is already present in the holding room, calm, with no expression of fear or anxiety. He is waiting to be called for what is likely to be one of the longest vetting processes in the history of the country.
Myjoyonline.com will bring a live update of all the drama, adorned with pictures and videos.
11:25 Vetting begins!
Martin Amidu takes his seat dressed in a smart black suit with a black and white tie on a white shirt. He takes committee members through his place of birth, education and life in an answer to a question by the First Deputy Speaker who is the Chair of the Appointments Committee.
My acceptance of the position of the Special Prosecutor is not because of the status it brings but the opportunity to fight bribery and corruption in the country. I have dedicated myself to the defence of the constitution. It is important that this country is stabilized and not give an opportunity for anybody to use corruption as a reason to destabilize the country.
Members of the committee take the nominee through his CV and issues related to it.
11:30 When and where were you born Haruna Iddrisu asks?
I was born on 6th September 1951 in the northern protectorate at a period when there was no births and deaths registry.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa asks the nominee if he is ready to give up his directorship of a citizen vigilante organization he set up in 2017 in compliance with the Special Prosecutor Act. The act does not allow the Prosecutor to hold another position of commercial interest.
Amidu says he is ready to relinquish the position not because of the dictates of the law that set up the Special Prosecutor because that law says the prosecutor shall not be involved in any commercial venture. The Citizen Vigilante organization, he insists is a not-for-profit organization. But for the avoidance of doubt, he says he will relinquish his directorship of the organization.
-Myjoyonline