Amidu announced his resignation as a special Prosecutor on November 16, 2020, and cited political interference by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as one of the reasons.
Amongst other reasons, Mr. Amidu said he resigned because of "the lack of respect of the independence of his office."
According to him, the reaction received from the presidency in respect of the analysis and assessment of the risk of corruption and anti-corruption of the Agyapa Royalties limited transaction was the final push that led him to resign.
Following his resignation, the President needs to replace the former Special Prosecutor, Mr. Martin Amidu with another person.
Pulse.com.gh takes a look at the choices for the Special Prosecutor office. We have identified the following four to fill the gap.
They are Akoto Ampaw, Nana Ato Dadzie, former CHRAJ boss Emile Short and Philip Addison.
Akoto Ampaw
Akoto Ampaw was tipped to be named Special Prosecutor following the president's assent to the Office of Special Prosecutor Bill.
Reports indicated that Akoto Ampaw, a lawyer at the President's law firm, Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co, is likely to accept the offer.
lawyer Ampaw has an impeccable legacy in the legal fraternity especially championing human rights campaigns and fair justice.
Philip Addison
Philip Addison could be unleashed to go after corrupt politicians and Ghanaians.
Addison who was key and instrumental in the President's team of lawyers that challenged the credibility of the 2012 election results, could be officially named as the Special Prosecutor.
Justice Emile Short
Emile Francis Short is a Ghanaian judge and academic and the former Commissioner on Human Rights and Administrative Justice in Ghana.
In 2004, he took an indefinite leave from his position at CHRAJ to be the Ad Litem Judge with the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda at Arusha in Tanzania after he had been elected to that position by the United Nations General Assembly.
This was during the prosecution for war crimes in Rwanda. He returned to his position at CHRAJ in August 2009.
He retired in December 2010.
Justice Emile Short has also been tipped to take over as the Special Prosecutor but said he is currently enjoying his retirement and will turn down any offer from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to occupy the position to occupy that high office.
He said "Nobody knows the outcome of the elections, so, my guess is that the president will appoint someone to replace him [Martin Amidu] before the 7th of December.
"I would thank the President for the offer but point out to him that I’ve retired, I’ve passed the retirement age to serve in public office and I'm presently enjoying my retirement and I have no intention of going back to public service."
Nana Ato Dadzie
Nana Ato Dadzie is a Barrister-at-Law and a Solicitor and a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legal team, with more than 40 years of practice at the Bar. He holds an LL.B degree from the University of Ghana and a B.L (Post-Graduate) certificate from the Ghana Law School.
He worked as a Senior United Nations Consultant on Political Transitions to the Republic of the Gambia in January-April 2017 and was key to the implementation of the difficult but ultimately successful transition from the government of President Yahya Jammeh.
He worked as an International Consultant to the National Democratic Institute (NDI) of the USA on a Presidential Transition Assessment Project in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and was appointed by the NDI with other Consultants to the Federal Republic of Nigeria to organize a National Conference to harmonise views and formulate draft legislation on a Presidential Transition Bill.
Nana Ato Dadzie was a member of the Transition Team that implemented Ghana's transition from the military regime of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) to the civilian, constitutional, democratic government of the Fourth Republic in 1993.
In 2012, Nana Ato Dadzie was a member of the legal team of John Mahama when his election as the President was challenged in the Supreme Court by Nana Addo.