A leading member of the opposition National Democratic Congress Edward Doe Adjaho says the Commission for Human Right and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has failed in its role as an institution set up to help fight.
Mr. Adjaho’s verdict follows CHRAJ’s decision on Monday to throw out a case brought by the Minority Leader Alban Bagbin against President Kufuor and two of his ministers alleging financial impropriety in the award of a contract for renovation works on the president’s private residence.
Mr. Adjaho, who is the Minority Chief Whip in Parliament told the ‘Network Herald’ an Accra newspaper that the Commission acted ‘irresponsibly’ in dismissing the complaint of Mr. Bagbin in spite of powers confers on it by Act 456 of Parliament and the its constitutional responsibility to investigate acts of corruption.
The leading NDC member also submitted that by its latest decision, the CHRAJ has not only failed but also “disabled itself” adding that the commission could have gone ahead to invite the workers of PWD Prestige Unit who undertook the assignment and those who audited the job to determine the veracity of the allegations.
“To hang the case on Bagbin is irresponsible” he added. Mr. Adjaho says persons who lodge complaints with the Commission are only helping it to perform its functions since CHRAJ has a duty to conduct its own private investigations into alleged acts of corruption.
He cited the case of NDC functionaries who were investigated during the NDC regime, suggesting that when the commission found it fit, it relied on newspaper allegation to investigate the alleged acts of corruption leveled against Colonel (Rtd) Osei Wusu, Dr. Adjei Maafo, Ibrahim Adam and P. V Obeng.
Mr. Adjaho concluded that CHRAJ has exhibited negligence and “shown clearly that it is not in the position to perform its constitutional mandate.”
