Indicting you as 'Government Official 1' isn't stupidity - Amidu replies Mahama

Mr. Amidu said the National Democratic Congress flagbearer should avail himself to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for investigations into the scandal.

This call comes after Mr. Mahama labelled Amidu's indictment of him as the infamous 'Government Official 1' in the scandal as stupidity.

John Mahama argued that the Office of the Special Prosecutor was reporting on the Agyapa deal, therefore, there was no basis for Mr. Amidu to label him as 'Government Official 1' in the report since it had no correlation with the Airbus scandal.

“If you have investigated Airbus, present a report on Airbus. Since you know the Agyapa report will be damning on the government, you chipped in a paragraph on Airbus. Nobody asked you about Airbus. If you were man enough, present two separate reports on the Agyapa Royalty deal and the Airbus scandal [so I can respond to you]", Mahama said.

“If you think I have been indicted on the Airbus scandal, accuse me directly. But because he is a coward and knew the Agyapa royalties deal will be discussed today, he chipped in a paragraph on Airbus to equalise the discussion,” he added.

But, Martin Amidu, in a scathing response has denied the accusations by the former President and said comments from Mr. Mahama shows the latter’s lack of understanding of issues of security and intelligence.

“The long public service of the Special Prosecutor spanning various aspects of security and intelligence from the period of 1982 to 7th January 2001 and July 2009 to January 2012 makes him more experienced in determining when it is not conducive to the national security interest to foolhardily take certain law and order actions."

"The Special Prosecutor owes that exercise of discretion to his vast experience over the years, his responsibility to maintain national stability and his conscience as a patriotic anti-corruption crusading Ghanaian", Amidu wrote.

He added: “there is no question of stupidity or cowardice about it. Any person aspiring to be President of Ghana for a second term who does not know that a cardinal principle in security and intelligence is that “caution is the better part of valour” was not and is not worth the vote”.

Meanwhile, Martin Amidu who has defended Mahama’s culpability in the bribery scandal has also challenged the former to voluntarily submit himself to be interrogated over the case.

“Your Excellency, the wise and the brave former President John Dramani Mahama, man-up, wise-up, and be brave enough to come with two lawyers of your own choice to be cautioned and interrogated by this Office to demonstrate your valour and wisdom as not being elected Government Official 1 and also as not being the first guarantor to Samuel Adam Mahama’s passport application,” Amidu said in a statement issued on Monday, November 9, 2020.