At the vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Dr Manteaw said the nominee exhibited that, he had competence, high moral integrity and an unblemished track-record in his public life, which made him the most suitable person for the job.

He noted that, those qualities were key and critical for a candidate nominated of that position, which had strengthened his conviction that Mr Amidu could deliver.

Dr Manteaw, who is also the Campaign Coordinator at the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), said this when he gave his personal assessment of the nominee in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, February 13, the Appointments Committee of Parliament subjected Mr Amidu to seven-hour grilling, setting record as the longest vetting of a candidate for a public office under the Fourth Republic.

The vetting took place despite a pending case at the Supreme Court filed by Lawyer Dominic Ayine, challenging the suitability of the nominee in view of his old age.

Dr Manteaw said Mr Amidu qualified for the job because he had exhibited integrity throughout his public life and lived above reproach, therefore Ghana needed someone of his calibre for a position as sensitive as the Special Prosecutor.

Dr Manteaw, a Member of the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and Public Interest and Accountability Committee, noted that, upon reflection of the whole vetting process, he was convinced Mr Amidu could be one of the best presidents for Ghana because he could crack the whip on defaulting Ministers, adding; “The nominee would ensure value for money and protect the public purse”.

However, Dr Manteaw observed that, some of the questions asked by some members of the Committee were repetitive and gave the impression that some of them were not listening to the earlier responses provided by the nominee.

“Some of the questions were out-rightly needless and highly provocative, which compelled the nominee to make statement that were pretty unfortunate and speak to issues that were very confidential in nature and should not have been disclosed the way he did,” he observed.

Dr Manteaw said if the nominee had not responded the way he did, it would have created a misconception and misimpression in the minds of the Ghanaian public.

“Those who are saying that Mr Amidu is emotional are just being typical of Ghanaians because Ghanaians hate people who say things as it is, and that has affected our lack of progress as a country.

“If someone has done something wrong, instead of saying it is wrong, we embellish it and put out all manner of names to shelve it,” he said.

Dr Manteaw encouraged the nominee not to be bothered by those comments, saying; “A Special Prosecutor is not expected to be a friend of many”.

Touching on lack of resources for state institutions to execute their mandate, Dr Manteaw said the Special Prosecutor Act had spelt out sources of funding for the Office of the Special Prosecutor, therefore a law abiding government should provide the required logistics to ensure effective execution of its mandate.

President Nana Addo Dankwa on January 11, 2018 nominated Mr Martin Amidu for the position of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

The President subsequently presented the nominee to the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Aaron Mike Ocquaye, who also forwarded the name to the Appointments Committee of Parliament for vetting.