The Minister-designate for Attorney-General and Justice says the former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu was not obliged by law to submit the Risk of Corruption Assessment Report he conducted on the Agyapa Mineral Royalty transaction to President Akufo-Addo.

Godfred Dame who was being vetted on Friday, told Parliament’s Appointment Committee that Mr Amidu presented the report to the president with the rationale to ‘guide future executive actions of government’.

But, according to Mr Dame, the Office of the Special Prosecutor is an independent body, as such, the former head of the office did not owe the President any official presentation of the report after conducting the assessment.

“Mr Amindu indicated that he was conducting a Corruption Risk Assessment [on Agyapa]; it will of course entail examination of excessive transaction and its future hazards that the transaction may represent.

“Before, the presentation of that report, of course he did not owe a duty at all to present it to the President. I do not see it anywhere in Act 959 that mandates the Special Prosecutor to present a copy of the report to the President. But that is the step he took,” he stated.

Commenting on the resignation of Mr Amidu, the Minister-designate said that the former Special Prosecutor interpreted President Akufo-Addo’s request to give fair hearing to the affected public officers including former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta on the controversial Agyapa deal as ‘interference’ on his work.

“He indicated clearly in his resignation that he was resigning on account of request by the President to as it were contact the [former] Minister of Finance, to give him a hearing,” he said.

The Agyapa deal controversy

Following Martin Amidu’s Corruption Risk Assessment on Agyapa deal, which raised red flags over the deal, describing the deal as fraught with corruption and bid-rigging.

The Royalties deal has generated so much interest from several quarters because of the alleged controversies of conflict of interest, amongst others.

Some 15 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) under the umbrella name Alliance of CSOs working on Extractive, Anti-Corruption and Good Governance also demanded the immediate suspension of the implementation of the controversial Special Purpose Vehicle, Agyapa Royalties Limited established by government though the Minerals Income Investment Fund.