Former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu has defied Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin’s demand for an apology regarding comments about a trip allegedly made by the Speaker.
Amidu has stated he will not apologize for his remarks, despite Bagbin’s insistence that he do so within seven days.
Amidu did, however, acknowledge an error in his article and offered an apology to his readers for mistakenly typing “Dubai in 2021” instead of “Dubai in 2022” in a question within paragraph 18 of his article dated May 26, 2024, and published on May 27, 2024.
On May 28, Speaker Bagbin refuted allegations made by Amidu that he had met with President Akufo-Addo in Dubai in 2021 before the rejection of the 2022 budget.
A statement from the Speaker’s Communication Unit dismissed these claims as baseless and an attempt to damage Bagbin’s reputation.
The statement, signed by Peter Bamfo, emphasized Bagbin’s long-standing record of distinguished and honest public service, reaffirming his commitment to prioritizing Ghana’s interests.
“The Rt Hon Speaker will not be deterred from carrying out his public service duties, guiding and providing leadership for Parliament even in the face of insinuations, unprovoked attacks and unfounded allegations like Mr Amidu’s,”the statement added.
The clarification came after Mr. Amidu made an allegation in a write-up criticizing the National Democratic Congress (NDC), its 2024 flagbearer, and the national chairman.
Speaker Bagbin demanded that Mr. Amidu retract what he termed as false and malicious statements within seven days, warning of potential further action.
However, Martin Amidu seems undeterred by the Speaker’s demands.
In a fresh article dated May 29, the former Special Prosecutor said “I have done nothing for which I need to withdraw, retract, and apologise for within seven days to Mr Bagbin who is dissipating the public purse needlessly in Dubai for health challenges which are treatable or manageable in Ghana.”
He added that “if you [Alban Bagbin] think my article defames you in anyway, defend your integrity and honour by issuing a writ of summons and a statement of claim against me in a court of law so that I can prove to the whole world that the things I wrote against the NDC in which you were mentioned as its self-confessed corrupt Speaker are either true, justifiable, and constitute fair comments or questions on public matters on the conduct of a public officer, the Speaker, in the public interest.”