General News of Thursday, 22 March 2018
Source: starrfmonline.com
The Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu has asked the Supreme Court to throw out a suit filed by former deputy Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine challenging Mr. Amidu’s nomination and approval as special prosecutor.
Dr. Ayine filed the suit a day before Amidu appeared before parliament’s appointment committee for vetting.
Dr. Ayine in his suit stated that Mr. Amidu was old and past the retirement age which according to him made Amidu ineligible to hold public office.
However, in his statement, filed Wednesday, the Special Prosecutor prayed the Supreme Court to dismiss the suit stating that it is without merit.
“The 2nd Defendant accordingly prays this Court to dismiss the Plaintiff’s Writ and Statement of Case as being without any merit whatsoever under the 1992 Constitution and Rule 45 of the Supreme Court Rules, 1996 (CI 16).”
Amidu further adds that in “answer to paragraph 31 of the Plaintiff’s Statement of Case the 2nd Defendant says that Parliament acted within its legislative power under the 1992 Constitution to enact Section 13(5) of Act 959 sui generis to enable the 1st Defendant and the President appoint an experienced, tried and tested lawyer for upwards of 39 years standing at the Bar such as the 2nd Defendant to assist the executive authority to excise or minimize the endemic canker of corruption and corruption related offences which the President contended at the last elections had infected the body politic uncontrollably under the immediate past Government under which the Plaintiff was the Deputy Minister for Justice; and for which reason the President was overwhelming voted by the electorate to be the President of Ghana to execute his electoral promises and mandate.”