Private legal practitioner, lawyer Maurice Ampaw has expressed his disappointment in the President, Nana Akufo-Addo for appointing lawyer Akoto Ampaw as the Independent Prosecutor.
Speaking in an interview with Kwame Tutu on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm, he described lawyer Akoto Ampaw as a courageous, incorruptible, principled and one who eschews injustice but expressed his big disappointment because he feels his allegiance to the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and President Nana Akufo-Addo, will not make him work effectively as an independent prosecutor.
He said, my big disappointment in this appointment and why I think Nana Akufo-Addo should not consider Akoto Ampaw as the Independent Prosecutor is because, he’s an NPP lawyer.
I do not have much information on whether he’s a card bearing member but he is an NPP. He is very close to Nana Addo and has worked closely with him. He was a member of Nana Addo’s legal team during the election petition; and was part of the senior legal luminary who assisted lawyer Addison.’’
He quizzed, ‘’now the question we need to ask is why should such a person be appointed as a Special Prosecutor?’’
In his view, such a sensitive position should be assigned to an independent person and not someone perceived to be aligned to a political party.
Lawyer Maurice Ampaw maintained that, because Nana Addo has appointed his personal lawyer that is my worry. No matter his competence and aptness, the perception out there will be, Nana Addo has appointed his family and friends. That is where my challenge is.
The Independent Prosecutor he stressed should not be someone close to the president but very independent and free from political influence.
He reiterated his call for Martin Amidu to be appointed so Akoto Ampaw assists him to ensure that, Ghanaians trust and have confidence in the Special Prosecutor’S Office.
He said, Akoto Ampaw may not be able to deal with his own party members and so, Martin Amidu is qualified in terms of his pedigree and how the public perceive him.
