Live Update: Amidu jabs at Student Minister question by Suhuyini

11:25 Vetting begins!

Martin Amidu takes his seat dressed in a smart black suit with a black and white tie on a white shirt. He takes committee members through his place of birth, education and life in an answer to a question by the First Deputy Speaker who is the Chair of the Appointments Committee.

My acceptance of the position of the Special Prosecutor is not because of the status it brings but the opportunity to fight bribery and corruption in the country. I have dedicated myself to the defence of the constitution. It is important that this country is stabilized and not give an opportunity for anybody to use corruption as a reason to destabilize the country.

Members of the committee take the nominee through his CV and issues related to it.


 Court Suit
Apart from the vetting, he has two big hurdles to confront- a mystery petition challenging his nomination and seeking a psychological examination for the man who was the Attorney General and on his own as private citizen won landmark cases in the judgment debt scandal involving Alfred Woyome, Waterville and Isofoton.

There is also a second hurdle, a writ filed at the Highest Court of the land challenging the nomination of Amidu on the grounds that he has exceeded the age acceptable for public service.
The petition and writ were all filed by members of the NDC, in a bid to stop the man, who remains a member of the NDC, from assuming the position of the first Special Prosecutor.
Despite these hurdles, the Appointments Committee has vowed to continue with the vetting of Amidu.

The citizen vigilante, as he has come to be known, is already present in the holding room, calm, with no expression of fear or anxiety. He is waiting to be called for what is likely to be one of the longest vetting processes in the history of the country.
Myjoyonline.com will bring a live update of all the drama, adorned with pictures and videos.

CV interrogations by committee members
Date of Birth
11:30 When and where were you born Haruna Iddrisu asks?
I was born on 6^th September 1951 in the northern protectorate at a period when there was no births and deaths registry.

Commercial Interest
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa asks the nominee if he is ready to give up his directorship of a citizen vigilante organization he set up in 2017 in compliance with the Special Prosecutor Act. The act does not allow the Prosecutor to hold another position of commercial interest.

Amidu says he is ready to relinquish the position not because of the dictates of the law that set up the Special Prosecutor because that law says the prosecutor shall not be involved in any commercial venture. The Citizen Vigilante organization, he insists is a not-for-profit organization. But for the avoidance of doubt, he says he will relinquish his directorship of the organization.

Children or adults
Ablakwa and Haruna Iddrisu want to know how many children Amidu has and why he wrote their ages in his CV but not their names.
Nominee says the three are now adults and no longer children. He has no obligation for them.

Presidential Advisor
OB Amoah wants to find out whether the nominee was a presidential advisor to late president John Mills at a point.
Nominee admits he was. He was appointed presidential advisor on legal issues but only for a short while until he was moved to the Interior Ministry. Some people he claims were not comfortable with his role.

Student Minister
Alhassan Suhuyini wants to find out from the nominee if he used his time as a deputy Minister of justice, to also pursue some education. Were you a student minister? He asked.
I discharged my duties as a minister creditably within the period I served. I used my spare time to pursue distance learning. I didn’t elope or went on AWOL. I enriched my knowledge so I could help my country. It was through that education that alternative dispute resolution programmes came about.

Awards
The nominee is asked about his position on personal awards.
I don't like awards. When i won the judgement debt case at the Supreme Court I was called by many NGOs to be offered awards but i rejected it. I don’t take awards. I refuse them. It is not about me. I am a shy person. I don’t like having the cameras on me. Even the camera on me now at this vetting is a problem for me.

stay tuned for more updates...