Mrs. Mould-Iddrisu who confirmed her decision to Joy News’ presidential correspondent, Seth Kwame Boateng, fell short of explaining her decision but promised to make it public later tomorrow (Tuesday).
She presented her letter of resignation to the Office of the President Monday evening, Myjoyonline sources at the Castle say, explaining that President J.E.A. Mills is yet to accept the resignation.
It is widely believed the president will accept the decision as our sources say Betty had been under pressure to resign or be shown the door over her handling of the payment of about GHS58 million to the businessman and financier of the ruling party, Alfred Woyome, while she was Attorney General.
The Castle sources claim Betty referred to the long drawn out debate generated over the controversial payments, saying the debates distracted her from performing her ministerial functions.
But she also insisted that “she is resigning with a clear conscience and is confident any investigation will exonerate her,” said one of the sources which corroborated that the presidency has received her resignation letter.
She also thanked President Mills for the opportunity to serve in his administration.
There were speculations last week she might speak publicly to defend her name after some party activists and supporters suggested she be sacked because she mishandled the affair while she was the chief legal officer of the state, with some going as far as claiming she might be complicit. The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) also called for her head for failing to do due diligence in the matter.
Close associates of hers told Myjoyonline.com her decisions on the Woyome case had been based on what appeared sound counsel from legal brains and technocrats at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and elsewhere and that in due time she would tell the entire country what she knows about the case.
Betty Mould-Iddrisu was previously the Head of Legal and Constitutional Affairs of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London before she was made Ghana's first ever woman Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
She becomes the second cabinet minister in the present administration to have lost her job over the Woyome judgment debt issue following closely on the heels of sacked Attorney General, Martin Amidu.
Amidu was last week dismissed from office shortly after the president issued an ultimatum for him to prove corrupt allegations against persons in the government or resign.
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