CHRAJ Cracks Whip On SSNIT

In one of the most devastating decisions yet to be handed down by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) the Commissioner has recommended that Messrs Kwame Addo, former Board Member of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the former Director General of the trust, Mr. Charles Asare should be barred from holding public office and in private firms with government shares - forever.

The Commissioner of CHRAJ, Mr. Emile Short announced the outcome of investigations into the operations of SSNIT following numerous allegations leveled against the trust for financial mismanagement. Mr. Short giving the three-member panel's ruling on the charges which included unlawful land acquisition said Mr. Addo "played a pivotal role in the land transaction ...and personally handed over money for the lease." This, said the commission is contrary to Article 284 of the constitution and section 48 of SSNIT's law. The report said SSNIT paid an excess amount of ?696 million to Nana Wiredu who played a key role in the transaction resulting in huge financial loss to the state.

The commission therefore recommended that Mr. Kwame Addo and Nana Wiredu should refund the ?698 million to the state.

SSNIT Head of Investment, Mr. Adu Amoah also came under the stern decisions of the panel and he got off with a sanction.

The recommendations went the full hog by asking that the former Director General Mr. Charles Asare should be investigated by the police and removed from office for fraudulently causing financial loss to the state contrary to Article 179 (38) of the constitution on the role he played in the "Singer House transaction" which also implicated Kwame Addo. He was so mired in many less than honourable dealings that he resorted to using one Mr. Mawuli Ababio as a front in order to disguise his involvement in yet another fraudulent transaction. Mr. Short accused him of being guilty of grave misconduct.

The Commission said it would submit its findings and recommendations to the Attorney General's Department for further legal action.

The above was just the tip of the iceberg as there were many other cases whose findings and recommendations could not be made public yesterday. This morning, the Commission will continue with its findings on the other cases.

It would be recalled that in 2000, SSNIT made the headlines when it came under the scrutiny of the media for what at that time were a plethora of allegations against the Board and other people in and out of the trust who had turned the organization into a milk cow.

The suspicions went all the way to the top of the government, which seemed to have enmeshed itself in the internal affairs of the trust thereby opening it to much abuse.

Yesterday's bombshell by CHRAJ must send shivers down many spines.