You never expressed intention to investigate Agyapa report – Akufo-Addo replies Amidu
The Presidency is struggling to reconcile the basis for the Special Prosecutor’s accusations of being undermined in his bid to prosecute the Agyapa Royalties deal after the Corruption Risk Assessment, with his said attempts to investigate same.
A nine-page letter signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo insists that the impression created by Martin Amidu that he had uncovered “serious corruption and corruption-related offences” regarding the Agyapa transaction and a subsequent intention to investigate it is disingenuous and not supported by the facts.
Government’s reaction to the Agyapa report formed the basis for Martin Amidu’s resignation and the subsequent revelation of a myriad of concerns including that of alleged interference by President Akufo-Addo.
The Special Prosecutor explained in a letter to the President that the events following the presentation of his report convinced him “beyond every reasonable doubt that you had laboured under the mistaken belief that I could hold the Office of the Special Prosecutor as your poodle.”
Portions of Amidu’s resignation letter to the President on November 16, indicated that the assessment report into the Agyapa deal “discloses several serious corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of which I intend to open full investigations as the Special Prosecutor.”
“I cannot do that now after our political interference in the performance of functions of the Office for two weeks from 20th October 2020 to 1st November 2020 culminating your directive on how the anti-corruption assessment report of the Agyapa Royalties Limited Transaction by his Office should be handled by the principal suspects disclosed by the anti-corruption assessment report,” the Special Prosecutor told President Akufo-Addo.
But the Secretary to the President stated that “you [Martin Amidu] never expressed an intention to the President to open investigations into the matter.”
The Presidency further alluded to a paragraph of Mr Amidu’s October 16, letter which outlined that: “This assessment [of Agyapa deal] does not constitute an investigation even though formal investigations for the suspected commission of corruption and corruption-related offences may arise from this corruption risk assessment.”
Per the President’s understanding, this earlier statement is inconsistent with Mr Amidu’s recent assertion and his subsequent position to not take “any further step in the matter consistent with your mandate.”
“Having clearly indicated that your report was not a criminal investigation which you are mandated under section 2 of Act 959 to carry out, it is confusing and incomprehensible how you can, in your Letter, claim that your report “discloses several serious corruption and corruption-related offences,” without you taking any further step in the matter consistent with your mandate,” he said.
In response to matters raised in the Special Prosecutor’s resignation letter, the President’s Secretary claimed that “it is difficult to find any tangible basis for the claim of political interference in the performance of your functions from 20 October, 2020 to 1 November, 2020.”
“The President’s meetings with you and the request for you to give the public officers a hearing cannot sincerely or properly give rise to such an allegation,” he added in the November 17, letter.
