President Nana Akufo-Addo has accepted the nomination of Kissi Agyebeng, the lawyer for the highly ‘scandalous’ Agyapa gold royalties deal as Special Prosecutor. A statement released on Thursday, May 6, 2021, from the Presidency and obtained by African Entertainment says the President was therefore seeking the approval of Parliament for Mr Agyebeng to become the Special Prosecutor. According to the statement dated May 6, 2021 and signed by Acting of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, “the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has accepted the nomination of Mr Kissi Agyebeng as Special Prosecutor, and has by letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, dated 29th April 2021, sought Parliament’s approval of the appointment. It would be called that Mr. Agyebeng was nominated by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Godfred Dame, as Special Prosecutor. When approved, Mr Agyebeng will replace Martin Amidu, the first ever Special Prosecutor of Ghana. Martin Amidu’s claims Former Special Prosecutor (SP), Martin Amidu, recently stated that Mr. Akufo-Addo, whom he described in time past as the “Mother Serpent” of corruption was ‘pressurized’ by persons implicated in the Agyapa Royalties Transaction corruption assessment report to appoint their surrogate, Mr. Agyebeng, as the Special Prosecutor to safeguard their interests. Mr. Amidu resigned as Special Prosecutor on November 15, 2020, after releasing the damaging report on the Agyapa deal. Speaking on the appointment of Mr. Agyebeng, Mr Amidu warned “do not defame Martin Amidu in the propaganda to nominate a new Special Prosecutor.” According to Mr Amidu in a statement, “It must, therefore, be worrying to any patriotic Ghanaian not afraid of the culture of silence to see Asaase Radio undertaking political propaganda beginning on 25th April 2021 to 26th April 2021 to prepare the minds of the Ghanaian and international public to accept the surrogate of the alter ego of the Asaase Radio station and Africa Legal Associates as the Special Prosecutor as mandated under section 4(1) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2018 (Act 959).” He added that “In the attempt of persons implicated in the Agyapa Royalties Transaction corruption assessment report to pressurize the President to appoint their surrogate as the Special Prosecutor to safeguard their interests, the online reportage of Asaase Radio resorted to direct fabrications, lies, and omissions against me in its narration of the reasons for my resignation.” Mr Amidu described Mr Akufo-Addo in 2020 as a President who took the presidential “oath while looking like the innocent flower of anti-corruption but being the mother serpent of corruption under it”. Below is a copy of release:
Credit: Melvin Tarlue