"You complain too much; do your job, nobody stops you "- Buaben in Amidu

General News of Monday, July 22, 2019

Source: clbadfmonline.com

2019-07-22

Adentan MP Yaw Buaben Asamoah asked the special prosecutor, Martin Amidu, to stop complaining and continue doing his job.

On Monday, July 22, 2019, Daily Graphic reported that the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghanaian police had exonerated Charles Bissue of any wrongdoing in the documentary Galamsey Fraud of investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, in which the former Secretary of the Illegal Mining Interministerial Committee was reportedly surprised to instruct his subordinates to circumvent the established licensing procedures of a dummy mining company.

He allegedly received 35,000 GHC for this bribe.

After being released by the CID, Mr. Amidu said he gave an interview to Citi FM, based in Accra, in which he claimed that the presidential staff member had not been cleared of allegations of corruption against him.

According to the Director General of the CID, the COP, Maame Tiwaa Addo Danquah, would have written to her that she had been instructed by the Minister of Science, Environment, Technology and Technology. Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng; and Interior Minister Ambrose Dery, who is in charge of the parallel inquiry.

Mr. Amidu said, "We opened an investigation, but before I could invite the suspect, I read a newspaper where Charles Bissue had stated that the CID was investigating his case and that the complainant had to go to place and bring his testimony. I therefore wrote to the Director General of the CID to tell him that the corruption offenses had been forwarded to the Special Prosecutor's Office. We have received a petition, we have indicated that we are going to open investigations, there should be no duplication of our efforts, so it should stop it.

"She writes to tell me that she was charged by the Minister of the Environment, who chairs this organization. [IMCIM] and the Ministry of the Interior to investigate. Thus, investigations continued.

"I wrote with very strong objections and then I started the investigations. I wrote to the chief of staff to release Bissue. A statement was made to him. Andy was invited. A statement was made to him. We have already received a statement from the complainant, who has come here with his lawyers. There was a video that was sent. I did not watch it because I am not the investigator. I do not interfere with that. I do not know what was written to the investigators and the case has not been completed yet. They saw it with everyone over there, and I'm sure anyone who came here had to watch it and the investigators are dealing with it. "

"There are some thorny things that have to be done before the file is presented to us, because the complainant has made a statement. Mr. Anas Aremeyaw Anas sent us a few days ago a letter stating that he wished to be a witness and I told him that I could not guarantee the conditions under which he wished to witness, but that he could make a written statement. He came for the declaration forms. He must submit them. When all this is done – because the complainant and the suspects have all testified, the material that is the video is there, I do not know what it says – [and] When we have followed this process, we will decide whether there has been a bribery offense. "

"So, the case is with us. I told the CID that they did not have jurisdiction. I wrote to the Minister of the Interior, copied Jubilee House and said we can not conduct an investigation simultaneously. You want to set up an office to investigate corruption or when it suits you, you send it to the police. We are studying the question. When the role is presented, we will decide whether to answer or not.

"You can not investigate a case where you have not heard both sides and this is not the first time that this type of obstruction, which I have referred to in my presentation, occurs. People choose to interfere in my corruption investigations when they think that it does not suit them, but that we have to do a professional job – impartially. I was brought here to do a job and that's what I'm going to do.

"And the police know that I told them they could not do it. And the Minister of the Interior knows that I told him that asking the police to do so is a political decision. If I was set up to investigate without political guidance, why would politicians send the case to the police when they know that I am supposed to do it? Either we want to create the Special Prosecutor's Office, or we do not.

"I told you that I wrote to the Director General of the CID that it was not his jurisdiction. I wrote to the Minister of the Interior. I copied the presidency. I wrote to the chief of staff to release Bissue, and I asked, "Treat a crime as a crime, I do not care who is involved."

"As far as I'm concerned, the police have no jurisdiction in this area and no minister can send them cases that belong to them. The president said that he was appointing me to avoid any political interference. Why can a minister bypbad me and send a case back to the police?

"My investigators will take care of it. When they are ready, they will give us the roles as prosecutors, we will evaluate them and we will make a decision. And then I'll see who's going to stop, "Amidu said.

Responding to Mr. Amidu, Mr. Buaben Asamoah, who is also director of communication for the new ruling Patriotic Party, said: [Mr Amidu] can take advantage of their investigations and they can go even further to ensure they have done a good job … I do not think the work of the CID in any way removes Mr. Amidu's jurisdiction.

"… You have the power to prosecute politically exposed people, the case is on your table, no one has prevented you from conducting an investigation. Why does he not investigate and pursue it?

"Why does he complain all the time, let him do his job, it's as simple as that. Did the president tell Mr. Martin Amidu to stop working? Did the minister who wrote the letter to the CID tell Martin Amidu to stop working? In his report, did the CID tell Martin Amidu to stop working? No, Mr. Amidu, nobody can direct him [about] what to do and this office was created by this government. It's a very bold decision. "

"I do not think it's useful to be at the opposite ends of the table with the CID, I think it would be better for him to take cognizance of this report, look at the flaws, the where appropriate, according to what he finds in his area of ​​expertise according to the Special Prosecutor and address these issues, "he said, adding:" Nobody asked him not to work on the report of Mr Bissue, no one prevented him from moving to investigate the case and no one can stop him.