The Editor -in-Chief at large of the New Crusading Guide, Kweku Baako Jnr, has suggested to the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, to hold on with the appointment of a new special prosecutor in the run-up to the elections.
“Don’t touch it. Leave it. The office is still functional,” the seasoned journalist told host of the Asaase Breakfast Show, Kojo Mensah.
As to whether the current Deputy Special Prosecutor, Jane Cynthia Naa Torshie Lamptey, should replace Martin Amidu, Baako said: “There were some who even thought she (Deputy Special Prosecutor) should have rather been the special prosecutor, she has never held the position of Attorney General or Deputy AG before, all those things came to play, but she is a very experience prosecutor.”
He added: “But if in the wisdom of the President she is elevated to become the special prosecutor, I wouldn’t have any difficulty with it, she is a lady and that will be another plus for women, but I think it is too early. The president should exercise some restraint, really if I were asked to advise, I will say hold on.”
Deputy in pole position
However, Baako believes the deputy stands a better chance of being elevated to the position of special prosecutor, considering her vast experience as a prosecutor.
“Persons come and go, relative to the circumstances that might have led to their exit, but the office remains intact, the office is a creation of law… So, I don’t think we have a big deal there, the deputy is actually very experience, if you know her track record in terms of prosecution, very long standing.”
Prof. Kwaku Agyeman-Budu, Head of Law Centre at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Faculty of Law, who also spoke on the same show sided with Baako.
“This probably is not the time to deal with this issue. I think we are in an election season and the deputy is more than competent enough to act, at the appropriate time a substantive will be made, whether it means confirming the deputy as the substantive,” he said.
Amidu resigned on Monday as special prosecutor, citing political interference with his work.
Fred Dzakpata
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