5 reasons CHRAJ dismissed petition against COCOBOD CEO

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has officially cleared the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Randy Abbey, of any wrongdoing regarding his asset declarations.

In a detailed ruling, the Commission outlined five specific findings that led to the dismissal of the complaint, which it termed as ‘wholly lacking merit’.

Watch old 2024 video of Randy Abbey fuming over COCOBOD issues

On the back of that, GhanaWeb highlights the key findings as stated by CHRAJ in dismissing the complaint against Dr Abbey.

Legitimate appointment date

According to the Commission, it established that Dr Abbey was appointed to his public office as Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board on January 21, 2025. This date served as the baseline for determining the statutory deadline for his asset declaration.

No record of 'Policy Advisor' role

A central part of the allegation was that Dr Abbey had declared assets as a "Policy Advisor" rather than as the CEO of the COCOBOD. However, the Commission found that to be inaccurate.

According to CHRAJ, Dr Abbey was “never appointed as Policy Advisor to the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana".

Declaration made within statutory window

CHRAJ further noted that its investigation confirmed that Dr Abbey complied with the Assets Declaration law in a timely manner.

The findings stated, "The Respondent declared his Assets and Liabilities with the Office of the Auditor-General on 24 March 2025 as Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board, and he did so within three (3) months of his appointment,” the Commission said.

No breach of constitutional provisions

Upon reviewing the evidence, CHRAJ concluded that there was no violation of the legal framework governing public officers with its ruling noting that, "The Respondent did not breach or violate any constitutional or statutory provision relating to the Asset Declaration Regime".

Full compliance with Article 286 and Act 550

The verdict upon which Dr Abbey was cleared indicated that the COCOBOD CEO met all requirements set out in the 1992 Constitution and the Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act, 1998.

CHRAJ clears COCOBOD CEO

"The Respondent has complied with Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution and Act 550 by submitting a completed written declaration of his Assets and Liabilities to the Office of the Auditor-General on 24 March 2025,” it concluded.

MAG/VPO

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