Renowned anti-corruption advocate Martin Amidu has called on President John Mahama to initiate an investigation into what he describes as “payroll fraud and a massive economic crime scene” at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
His demand follows the public reaction to his February 25 article, which highlighted alleged irregularities at the OSP and the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP).
Amidu claims that employees at the OSP have raised concerns regarding the hiring process, particularly criticizing the vetting procedure.
He argues that Special Prosecutor William Kissi Agyebeng bypassed the legally required vetting process by having employees undergo unlawful polygraph tests instead of the standard vetting by the Ghana Police and National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).
In an open letter, Amidu revealed that employees, who had not been vetted according to the regulations, are willing to testify in an impartial investigation.
They expressed shock and disbelief over the improper procedures that were followed. One employee stated, “I am absolutely shocked to my boots by your latest revelation!”
In his letter, Amidu pointed out that proper vetting procedures—such as fingerprinting to verify criminal records and thorough background checks on educational and employment history—were completely overlooked.
Amidu emphasized that if the police and NIB had carried out the vetting, they would have detected any criminal past and verified the qualifications of employees, ensuring that no fraudulent information was presented during the hiring process.