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Stop lamenting and work : Lawyer tells Martin Amidu

By Justice Kofi Bimpeh
Lawyer Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe
Lawyer Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe
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Lawyer Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe has asked the Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu to stop lamenting and get to work.

According to lawyer Tamakloe, Martin Amidu has all the powers he needs to tackle the very issues he is complaining about.

Speaking on Joy FM's news analysis programme 'NewsFile', lawyer Tamakloe said Martin Amidu has not shown any evidence of exhausting the powers given and how people have frustrated his work after he followed the due process outlined in the Act establishing his office.

" ...Martin Amidu after being giving statutory power in reference section 31 of the Act establishing the office and it says 'The Special Prosecutor shall apply to the court without notice to the person or entity under investigation to issue a warrant to an authorised officer to enter premises in possession off or under the control' to retrieve any document what so ever so when parliament passed this Act it gave Martin Amidu the very power he laments about that regardless of whoever the person it you have this power even without notice to the person go to the court, get a warrant search and retrieved until you are done with the trial, now you have not exercised these powers, you have not demonstrated any evidence he has been to court to secure a warrant and someone has frustrated that process and mind you if you frustrate him in the execution of that order it constitutes an offence..."

Martin Amidu, in a lengthy writeup, claims that heads of institutions are making his work as the Special Prosecutor difficult.
Mr Amidu said some of these heads of institutions refuse to comply with laws designed to ensure good governance and to protect the national purse.

Mr Amidu after being appointed SP was criticised for the snail pace of his work but he kick-started his fight against corruption as he is currently battling with Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga.

"Heads of institutions wantonly disregard statutory requests made by the Office for information and production of documents to assist in the investigation of corruption and corruption-related offences, in spite of the fact that the President has on a number of occasions admonished them on such misconduct.

"There have also been cases where some heads of institutions have made it their habit to interfere with and undermine the independence of this Office by deliberately running concurrent investigations falling within the jurisdiction of this Office with on-going investigations in this Office for the sole purpose of aborting investigations into corruption and corruption-related offences."

But lawyer Tamakloe believes that Martin Amidu has rather set out himself to fail and trying to provide reasons for his failure.

"The danger I see is that first of all Martin Amidu has set himself out for failure and in order to fail abysmally he must provide a certain cushion in anticipation of that failure regrettably."

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