Immediate Past Minister for Justice and Attorney General Betty Mould Iddrisu, has stated that her exit from that Ministry will not necessarily ease the pressure on that office.
Mrs. Betty Mould Iddrisu, who is undoubtedly the most criticized appointee in President Mills’ two years administration, was among the President’s first list of reshuffled appointees released on Tuesday January 4.
Although her exit was likely, her re-appointment rather came as a shock, as many had suggested that she was good to occupy the Foreign Affairs Ministry instead of Education.
The embattled Minister told Citi News that it would be wrong for anyone to suggest that her new office will ease the pressure that was mounted on her previously. According to her, claims that she had under-performed hence the pressure were untrue.
“I don’t think it’s a sigh of relief because the Ministry of Education is just as challenging as the Ministry of Justice. I think that anybody will agree that a sector of the economy which takes 20% of our budget will be challenging. I look forward to the challenge and I hope to work with young people. Attorney-Generals from the beginning of the post-colonial era have come under pressure. The best Attorney-Generals who were excellent in private practice and came to that position have faced enormous challenges and I think that will continue regardless of whoever is there” she said.
“And I just thought it was part of the challenges that went with the job. My predecessor Hon. Tetteh Enyo also went through enormous challenges in dealing with the various agitations in the education front and the challenges of the reform in the education sector so I look forward to working in this new team that his Excellency the President has put together” she intimated.
According to Mrs. Mould Iddrisu, the claims that her administration failed to prosecute high profile cases were untrue.
“I think people might have some loss of memory if they don’t know that there are significant high profile prosecutions which are currently ongoing which I initiated. The cases which were part of the NDC’s manifesto have been looked into and are ongoing. I am responsible for prosecutions and I have done a considerable number of them. I do not jail. The judiciary and the judges are the ones who make the final determinations. I am confident that I have done an excellent job under very difficult circumstances and I am confident that Hon. Martin Hamidu will also do an excellent job” she said.
Dr. Benjamin Kumbuor who has now been moved to the Ministry of Interior from the Health Ministry debunked suggestions that he was re-appointed following a comment he made suggesting that he did not support Government’s plan to implement a one-time premium for the national health insurance scheme.
According to Mr. Kumbuor, he was misquoted for the comment he made on the one-time premium.