Supreme Court dismisses Ayine application over Amidu case

An application by former deputy Attorney- General to improve his arguments against the presidential decision to select Martin Amidu as Special Prosecutor has been dismissed.

The Supreme Court judge, Justice Gabriel Pwamang, sitting alone on the case threw out the application describing it as lacking merit.

This was after the state represented by Deputy Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame argued that court rules bars the opposition politician from doing so.

It is Dr. Ayine’s case that Martin Amidu, 66 years, is unfit for the anti-corruption office because he is beyond the statutory age for holding a public office.

At the hearing of the two-month-old case, the Bolgatanga East MP Dr. Dominic Ayine had wanted to file additional arguments to support his writ.

But opposing counsel, Godfred Dame argued the request by the Standford-trained Doctor of Science of the Law is technically deficient.

Dr. Ayine may file an affidavit or additional evidence to his case but cannot amend the substantive writ he filed in February, it was argued.

He is also free to withdraw the case and file a fresh writ containing his improved arguments, a move which could restart the entire case.

The court dismissed his application to allow it hear the substantive matter of why he is convinced Ghana’s first Special Prosecutor should be the last person to be considered for the powerful post.

Martin Amidu, a former deputy Attorney-General was in court to watch the spectacle and walked away telling journalists, he is focused on his work and is unperturbed by the legal challenge by one of his successors under the John Mills/John Mahama administration.

“I am doing my work”, he shrugged off questions about how the case is affecting him.

Amidu’s work is to line up officials, former and current, indicted for political corruption and prosecute them in a way that does not suggest political witch-hunt.

It is a role he has said, he is honoured to execute after similar feats he chalked singlehandedly in the 52m cedis Woyome judgment debt case.

Source: Myjoyonline