Amidu’s decision for not probing Mahama over Airbus Scandal ridiculous – Akufo-Addo

The Presidency has described as untenable the reason given by the resigned Special Prosecutor for his refusal to investigate former President John Mahama over the Airbus saga.

According to the presidency, Martin Amidu’s decision to confer immunity on the NDC Presidential candidate is not grounded in law.

“Indeed when you erroneously and without moral legal basis decided to confer immunity from investigation and prosecution on the Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress in connection with the infamous Five million Euro bribery affair, by refusing to investigate him on a cleary untenable grounds of his being a candidate for President, neither the president nor any member of the executive challenged that strange exercise of discretion”.

Meanwhile, the President  has dismissed claims by Martin Amidu that he asked him to shelve his report in the Agyapa Royalties deal while he served as Special Prosecutor.

In a statement, the Presidency said “At no point did the President ask you to shelve the report, so he could “handle the matter”. It is difficult to see in what way and in what context the President would seek to “handle the matter” when the matter was already public knowledge and had led to the Ministry of Finance suspending action on the Agyapa transaction in anticipation of your report”.

On the accusation of interference, the president said:“It is extremely important to emphasize that the subject of your discussion with the President on 1 November 2020, was the delivery to you of comments on your report by the Ministry of Finance.  At no point did the President ask you to shelve the report so he could “handle the matter”. It is difficult to see in what way and in what context the President would seek to “handle the matter” when the matter was already public knowledge and had led to the Ministry of Finance suspending action on the Agyapa transaction in anticipation of your report. You are clearly aware that the President had accepted the observations you had made in the Agyapa Report and had acted on it by issuing directives to officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Attorney-General’s Department. This cannot be the conduct of a person seeking to hamstring your efforts or to avoid the contents of the Report”.