MPs Heckle Ayine As He Moves to Stop Amidu’s Approval

Former deputy attorney general Dominic Ayine Tuesday afternoon faced a major heckling from his colleagues in Parliament when he reminded the Speaker of Parliament about the possible infraction to the law if Martin Amidu was approved by the House as Special Prosecutor.

Ayine who has sued the state and Amidu over his age suitability for the Special Prosecutor job was hooted at by some MPs as he stood on his feet to address the chamber.

“Mr. Speaker I am inviting your good self to make a determination humbly on this matter, in respect of this matter which is before the Supreme Court on the qualification or eligibility of the nominee,” Ayine noted, citing his basis from order 93 of the standing orders of Parliament.

However reacting to the intervention, the Minority leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, argued that precedence before the house suggest the nominee could  be approved by the House despite the pending case at the court.

According to Starr News’ Parliamentary correspondent,  Ibrahim Alhassan, the Minority may abstain from the approval of Mr. Amidu while the Majority appears ready to give the nominee an overwhelming approval.

Debate on the nominee has just commenced in the chamber after the Speaker ruled against a minority motion to defer the debate.

If finally cleared by Parliament and sworn in by the President, Amidu will become Ghana’s first Special prosecutor.

The Special Prosecutor IS a specialized agency to investigate specific cases of corruption involving public officers, politically-exposed persons as well as individuals in the private sector implicated in corrupt practices and to prosecute the offences on the authority of the Attorney-General.

The Office is also expected to help reduce the workload on existing investigative agencies and, thereby, enhance their effectiveness.

The establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor has become necessary in view of the institutional bottlenecks that impede the fight against corruption.

Source: Starrfmonline