Don’t hastily yield to Amidu – Ayariga advises MTN on call records

Former Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Mahama Ayariga has said he’ll vehemently contest Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu court order for his (Ayariga) call records to be released to him.

An Accra Circuit Court has ordered the Managing Director of Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN) to produce audio conversation of Mahama Ayariga, Member of Parliament for Bawku Central and an officer of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The court gave the order at the request of Special Prosecutor (SP) Mr Martin Alamisi Burns Kaiser Amidu.

Mr Amidu told the Accra Circuit Court “2” presided over by Mrs Ruby Naa Adjeley-Quayson that the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) had already obtained an order to conduct forensic examination on three mobile phone numbers from the Director General of Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.

He urged the court to exercise its powers under the Electronic Transaction Act, Act 2008(Act 772) of Section 100, 101 and 103.

Mr Amidu who is known for his tough stance against corruption recently hinted that he would soon start prosecuting corruption-related cases.

But Hon. Mahama Ayariga who’s also MP for Bawku Central in a statement said there was no need for Martin Amidu to go to court as he (Ayariga) would have willingly released his call records if the Special Prosecutor had contacted him.

“I, Mahama Ayariga, would have gladly personally handed my MTN call records to Mr Martin Amidu, if he had just asked me directly, so he will see that I have
never placed a call to Mr Kwasi Gyimah-Asanteʼs phone. I still do not know who Kwasi Asante Gyimah is.

“I, however, think that in the interest of developing clarity on the law protecting the privacy of the communication of Ghanaian citizens on mobile
telecommunications platforms, and setting proper precedents, the breath of the court order should be subjected to legal scrutiny. I have therefore instructed my lawyers accordingly.

Hon. Ayariga who’s a trained lawyer by profession also cautioned MTN not to rush into handing over his call records.

“I believe that MTN is properly advised not to hastily yield to this clearly over-broad order in the interest of their customers. MTN must be seen to exhaust all legal challenges.”