Bawku Central lawmaker, Mahama Ayariga has said Martin Amudu-led Office of the Special Prosecutor sat on strong evidence that exonerated him in the case in which he was charged with fraudulent evasion of taxes, fraudulent evasion of customs duties and dealing in foreign exchange without a license.
Martin Amidu charged him in the matter of the importation of three Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles in 2017, partly funded by a loan facility guaranteed by Parliament and accessible for all MPs.
But speaking in interview with TV3’s Komla Klutse on Tuesday November 23 following the resignation of Mr Amidu, Mahama Ayariga expressed optimism of winning the case with or without Mr Amidu as Special Prosecutor.
“Whichever way I was going to defend myself, I was going tom proof myself. Whether he or any other person.
“Just last week we went to court and a lot of interrogations and statements by custom officers and other people who appeared before the integrators of the special prosecutor , statements that clearly exonerated me but they sat on those statement.
“They refused to bring the evidence to court. The Office of the Special prosecutor under Martin Amidu sat on the evidence that exonerate me.”
Asked whether or not he has been in touch with Mr Amidu after his resignation, Mahama Ayariga said he has not spoken to the former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu on his resignation.
He said he knows the character and personality of Mr Amidu very well and so has decided to not speak to him on this matter.
Mr Amidu has described Mahama Ayariga as his son following claims by Member of Parliament for Assin Central Kennedy Agyapong that his colleague lawmaker and a former Youth and Sports Minister, Ayariga has medical records of Amidu, claims Mr Amidu has rubbished.
Mr Amidu who dragged Mahama Ayariga to court this year when he was the Special Prosecutor told Umaru Sanda in an interview that “Mahama Ayariga is my son, who incidentally I had to lead an investigation against because of public duty.
“Mahama Ayariga will tell the public that he holds no medical record on me having visited Germany.”
Mahama Ayariga later denied possessing the medical records of Mr Amidu.
He told Komla Klutse on the resignation of Mr Amidu that “We didn’t appoint him, they (NPP administration) appointed him.
“They thought he was competent and capable and they gave him all the credibility he has, they branded him as citizens’ vigilante because they thought he was going at the NDC government at that time.
“So if he comes out today that he has issues with them it is not the NDC’s making. He has given the issues that led to his resignation.
Asked whether he has spoken to him after he left office, he said “I have not since the case started, I have not tried to speak to him personally because I know his character, I have known him for a while. I know his character so I have not spoken to him.”
The first occupant of the Office of Special Prosecutor resigned his position on Monday, November 16, citing a number of reasons.
“The events of 12th November 2020 removed the only protection I had from the threats and plans directed at me for undertaking the Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions anti-corruption assessment report and dictates that I resign as the Special Prosecutor immediately,” he had stated in his resignation letter to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
“I should not ordinarily be announcing my resignation to the public myself but the traumatic experience I went through from 20th October 2020 to 2nd November 2020 when I conveyed in a thirteen (13) page letter the conclusions and observations on the analysis of the risk of corruption and anti-corruption assessment on the Report On Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions and Other Matters Related Thereto to the President as Chairman of the National Security Council cautions against not bringing my resignation as the Special Prosecutor with immediate to the notice of the Ghanaian public and the world.
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana