Ghana Anti-Graft Prosecutor Quits Over ‘Interference’

Ghana’s special anti-corruption prosecutor has quit, accusing
President Nana Akufo-Addo of “political interference” over a report
into a controversial gold royalties deal.

The move comes just three weeks ahead of a presidential election
that sees Akufo-Addo facing a tight race against former leader John
Mahama.

Former attorney general Martin Amidu announced his resignation
late on Monday, saying he had become convinced “that I was not
intended to exercise any independence” in the job.

“You had laboured under the mistaken belief that I could hold
the Office of the Special Prosecutor as your poodle,” Amidu wrote
in a letter to the president.

Amidu was appointed by Akufo-Addo in 2018, sparking hopes that
he could help curb graft in the country.

The prosecutor said he decided to quit after the president tried
to get him to “shelve” a scathing report on a plan to sell the bulk
of Ghana’s future gold royalties to an offshore firm.

The government is seeking to cash in on the high price of gold
and raise some $500 million dollars (420 euros) by floating half of
the firm on the London Stock Exchange.

Amidu accused Akufo-Addo of trying to act as “a judge in your
own cause” after the report contained “negative anti-corruption
assesments” over the the presidency’s role.

There was no immediate response from the presidency to the
allegations but officials have previously insisted they are acting
transparently.

The report was eventually published two weeks ago and the
government has said it was delaying the London floatation in the
face of opposition until after elections on December 7.

The authorities insist the plan will help Ghana raise vital cash
to help offset the damaging impact of the coronavirus pandemic on
its economy.

Ghana is viewed as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies
but corruption remains a persistent problem.

The country ranked 80th out 180 nations in Transparency
International’s 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index, with a survey
saying that a third of public service users had paid a bribe in the
last year.

Ghana’s special anti-corruption prosecutor has quit, accusing
President Nana Akufo-Addo of “political interference” over a report
into a controversial gold royalties deal.

The move comes just three weeks ahead of a presidential election
that sees Akufo-Addo facing a tight race against former leader John
Mahama.

Former attorney general Martin Amidu announced his resignation
late on Monday, saying he had become convinced “that I was not
intended to exercise any independence” in the job.

“You had laboured under the mistaken belief that I could hold
the Office of the Special Prosecutor as your poodle,” Amidu wrote
in a letter to the president.

Amidu was appointed by Akufo-Addo in 2018, sparking hopes that
he could help curb graft in the country.

The prosecutor said he decided to quit after the president tried
to get him to “shelve” a scathing report on a plan to sell the bulk
of Ghana’s future gold royalties to an offshore firm.

The government is seeking to cash in on the high price of gold
and raise some $500 million dollars (420 euros) by floating half of
the firm on the London Stock Exchange.

Amidu accused Akufo-Addo of trying to act as “a judge in your
own cause” after the report contained “negative anti-corruption
assesments” over the the presidency’s role.

There was no immediate response from the presidency to the
allegations but officials have previously insisted they are acting
transparently.

The report was eventually published two weeks ago and the
government has said it was delaying the London floatation in the
face of opposition until after elections on December 7.

The authorities insist the plan will help Ghana raise vital cash
to help offset the damaging impact of the coronavirus pandemic on
its economy.

Ghana is viewed as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies
but corruption remains a persistent problem.

The country ranked 80th out 180 nations in Transparency
International’s 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index, with a survey
saying that a third of public service users had paid a bribe in the
last year.