FORMER ATTORNEY General, Martin Amidu has explained the underlying reasons why Deputy Attorney General, Ebo Barton Odro appears to be untouchable by the Mills administration despite intense disapproval of his stewardship.
In his latest series of damning exposés about the inner workings at the Attorney General’s Department released Tuesday, ‘Citizen Vigilante,’ Martin Amidu explains that Barton Odro’s audacious and sometimes costly exploits at the AG’s department is because of his close relationship with President Mills.
Mr. Amidu stated that during his stint at the AG’s in 2011, Barto Odro and the Solicitor-General, Amma Gaisie often unilaterally took important decisions relating to debt settlements valued at millions of US dollars without consulting him.
According to him, Barton Odro exercised these liberties because he claimed to hail from the same area-Cape Coast, as President Mills.
The Deputy Attorney General is perhaps one public officer whose loyalty to his office has been the most widely questioned. Barton Odro’s bad press follows his controversial statement supporting embattled businessman-Alfred Woyome in the controversial GH¢51million judgment debt scandal.
When the scandal broke and the public called for the AG to retrieve the money said to have been fraudulently paid to Mr. Woyome between 2010 and 2011, Barto Odro surprised everybody by stating that Ghana did not have a case against Woyome. Since then, several critics and civil society groups have called for him to be relieved of his position.
Civil society groups like the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) recently called for the head of the embattled deputy Attorney General because they think he is using his position to work against the interest of the country.
Despite the persistent disapproval, the Mills government has been unable make any such pronouncement and has maintained the beleaguered deputy AG at post.
Mr. Amidu complained that during his tenure at the Attorney General’s office, Barton Odro and Amma Giasie often sidestepped his authority to make certain debt settlements that he was not privy to or approved of.
“Not even the President who appointed me as the Attorney-General could under Article 88 of the Constitution delegate my constitutional functions as the Attorney-General to any other person or authority without first relieving me of my appointment by express revocation of my warrant of appointment,” he said.
The former Attorney General disclosed in his statement that he had written several memoranda to the Deputy Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General asking for explanations for the republic having to pay certain settlements or judgment debts. Apparently these memos were never answered in spite of accompanying reminders.
“I did not waste time when I assumed office as the Attorney-General in reminding the Deputy Attorney-General, Hon. Barton Odro, MP and the Solicitor-General, Mrs. Amma Gaisie, that I would not take responsibility for any actions or omissions by either of them or those working up to them unless the acts or omission were done with my knowledge and express authorization.”
Mr. Amidu cites an instance when Barton Odro negotiated a GH¢38million debt settlement with disgruntled workers of the National Mobilization Programme (NMP) who filed a suit against New Patriotic Party (NPP) chieftain, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey for allegedly wrongfully dismissing some staff of the NMP.
According to Mr. Amidu, even though the case was still pending in court, Barton Odro clandestinely withdrew the case without his knowledge and negotiated a GH¢38 settlement with the workers.
Refering to Barton Odro’s action, Mr. Amidu said the deputy AG, “had the boldness, without any direct or express authority from me since I took over as the Attorney-General.”
He explained: “I queried the settlement and instructed that the court be allowed to determine whether or not there was wrongful dismissal. I pointed out that unless the court determined that Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey had indeed wrongfully dismissed the workers it was foolhardy for me as the Attorney-General to settle the matter on the basis of wrongful dismissal and pretend that my decision could be used to prosecute Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey for causing financial loss to the state.”
Mr. Amidu who has been extremely unequivocal about his criticisms of the modus operandi at the AG’s department says he is baffled by the power that Odro wields at the department, “I had been a Deputy Attorney-General and Deputy Minister for Justice for upwards of twelve and a half years and know more than anybody else the limits of the authority of a Deputy Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General.”
Source: Raphael Adeniran/Daily-GUIDE
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