Ghanas Human Rights Chief Suspended for spending $203,500 in 37 Months on Rent Accommodation The President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama has suspended Ghana’s Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) chief, Ms. Lauretta V. Lamptey for misappropriating scarce public funds. TheDaily Graphic’sinvestigations published on September, 2014 said Ms Lamptey has spent a whopping $203,500 on her rent accommodation in 37 months. It is said she was living in a luxury hotel in the capital, Accra which cost $456.25 per day.This caused a public outrage with many Ghanaians calling for her removal from office for wasting public funds. CHRAJ is the Ghanaian public complaint unit for citizens in any human rights violation by public or private entity. The body was set upby the 1992 Fourth Republican Constitution of Ghana. In a press statement issued by the President’s chief of staff on Wednesday, it stated that the there are enough grounds to show that Ms. Lamptey has abused her office. And the President acting on the advice of Ghana’s Judicial Council, pursuant to Article 146 (10) (b) of the Constitution of Ghana, has suspended her from holding her office.“The suspension follows the establishment of a prima facie case against Ms. Lamptey by the Chief Justice, and the setting up of a five (5)-member committee to investigate complaints made againsther”, the statement said. Ms. Lamptey is due to face a 5-member committee set up by the President toinvestigate her scandal. The statement concluded that the suspension has become necessary to ensure that the integrity of the country is protected especially on a public institution like CHRAJ which issupposed to be uncorrupted to safeguard public confidence.Ms. Lamptey has been asked to handover her duties to her deputy, Mr. Richard Quayson, not later than Friday January 16, 2015. Public opinion on her suspension on the Ghanaian media shows a significant praise on the office of the President for taken the initiative to suspend her. But Ms. Lamptey has consistently denied any wrong doing,saying she is confident that she will be exonerated by the committee which is due to investigate her.However, on the international front, her scandal has led to the removal Ghana’s name from the list of Human Rights Commissions for anInternational study.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 04:39:04 +0000
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