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I was coerced into writing apology letter to Mills – Amidu
According to Martin Amidu, he was persuaded by certain “elder people”, who he couldn’t say no to, to write the said apology letter to late John Attah Mills
According to him, he was persuaded by certain “elder people”, who he couldn’t say no to, to write the said apology letter.
Mr. Amidu fell out with the late Mills after alleging that the then government was trying to conceal certain corrupt acts.
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He was subsequently dismissed in January 2012 as Attorney General and Minister of Justice after being accused of displaying “misconduct” during a meeting with the President.
“Mr Amidu's behavior is incompatible with acceptable standards expected of ministers and appointees of the President,” a statement from Chief of Staff at the time, John Martey Newman, said.
Days later Mr. Amidu issued an apology to the then President Mills admitting to his “mistakes”.
However, speaking before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, the Special Prosecutor nominee said he was coerced into writing that apology letter.
According to him, late Chairman of the Council of State Prof Kofi Awoonor and fellow elder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Captain Tsikata (rtd) pleaded with him to take that step.
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“This letter of apology was procured from me by the late Kofi Awoonor, an elder, a former chairman of Council of State, so you will see that at the end of it, I state and I did that carefully [that]: ‘As it is customary, I have solicited the Chairman of the Council of State and Captain Kojo Tsikata (rtd), as elders, to be kind enough to reiterate my apology to you on my behalf,” Mr. Amidu asserted.
“They [Awoonor and Tsikata (rtd)] asked me to write this letter and I’ve said it, Captain Tsikata is alive, and when Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu called me and said they wanted this letter, I told him they could sack me, but when the two of them asked me to write this letter, the first letter didn’t have Captain Tsikata’s name, my secretary, Perpetual Alatsane, who is still working, sent it to Kofi Awoonor’s office, then he added the Tsikata and when he brought it, the girl typed it and added the name.”
Mr. Amidu further stated that he still hold his stance against acts by the then National Democratic Congress (NDC) government but sees nothing wrong with the apology since “in northern custom no young man is right.”
“In any case, for me, I don’t see anything wrong when a young person has had a misunderstanding with an elder – somebody who has been his friend for over 35 years – and who invites him: ‘Come and help me’, and there is a breakdown of trust. Just one day, 13th, Sir Bebaako-Mensah, is alive, until the 13th, the president and myself have never had a problem, so, if we had a problem and he is older than me, in northern custom no young man is right, if I’m telling lies tell me.
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“Even when you are right, you meet elders, you apologise, when you go out then they tell the man: ‘You are wrong, we just have to let him apologise’, that is what this letter means, you are a northerner, you know that,” he added.
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