Retract and apologise for your defamatory comments – Amidu to Ato Forson

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Special Prosecutor, Martin ABK Amidu, has given Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam Constituency in the Central Region seven days to render an unqualified apology and retraction for comments he considers defamatory on his hard-won reputation. 

According to him in a letter copied to GhanaWeb, Mr Amidu said the Finance Minister on July 12, 2019, in answering questions on the floor of Parliament hinted that Government had paid over GH?280 million since it assumed office in 2017 out of the nation’s judgment debt which stood at over GH?679 million. The Minister of Finance in answering those questions did not mention the names of the institution or individual persons to whom the alleged judgment debts were owed or paid. 

He said Mr Forson later at a press conference outside the floor and chamber of Parliament said, “We are hearing and on authority that they have paid the likes of McDan, they have paid Bankswitch, they have paid even the Special Prosecutor an amount of judgment debt, as to whether they qualify to receive that amount, is something we will have to investigate. And that is why I requested the Minister responsible for Finance to give us a break down…I also don’t think that in the case of the Special Prosecutor …I hear he went to court, there was a default judgment and the Special Prosecutor has been paid some amount for the fact that he was wrongfully sacked as a minister of state whether that qualifies as judgment debt or not we want to seek further and better particulars…” 

Mr Amidu said he had not obtained any judgment or order(s) from any court of competent jurisdiction in my capacity as the Special Prosecutor to be paid any judgment debt since my nomination, approval and appointment to the Office of the Special Prosecutor. 

“Nonetheless, you chose out of malice and with the intention to defame me in person and in my current office as Special Prosecutor to refer to me by the title of my current appointment as a public officer instead of my personal name in making and publishing your defamatory statement about my person and integrity,” the letter reads. 

Mr Amidu further explained that from 2013 to January 6, 2017, he commenced an action in court seeking an order for the payment of his salary arrears, arrears of rent allowance, payment for earned annual leave, terminal benefits, compensation for breach of contract with accrued interest on the said sums from the date of accrual to the date of payment, amongst others. 

“The Government you served through your National Security Advisor, Hon. Alhaji Baba Kamara, contacted me on 26th December 2013 on behalf of your Government to have the matter settled out of Court. I insisted on dealing only with the Attorney-General. Your National Security Advisor subsequently got your Attorney-General to make contact with me and proposed an attempt at an amicable settlement which I accepted. The proposal was formally brought to the attention of the Court by the Attorney-General’s representative and with my concurrence, the matter was adjourned for us to try a settlement.” 

By: www.ghanaweb.com