CHRAJ initiates investigations into SADA operations

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on Friday said it has initiated preliminary microscopic investigations into operations of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA).

“We have progressively monitored and gathered information on SADA from the media and other sources, which are going through CHRAJ microscopic means - transparency, corruption and conflict of interest assessment.

“Our reaction would be based on the outcome of the preliminary microscopic investigation,” Mr Joseph Whittal, a CHRAJ Deputy Commissioner told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in reaction to Ghana Integrity Initiative’s (GII) call for investigations into SADA operations.

GII in a statement issued and copied to the GNA in Accra on Thursday, called on Parliament to go beyond merely calling on the SADA Chief Executive to answer questions in Parliament.

It asked Parliament to invoke Article 278 of the 1992 Constitution and, by a resolution, request that a commission of inquiry be appointed to inquire into issues emerging from the entire SADA projects as they are matters of public importance.

“Alternatively, an independent investigator such as the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice should undertake this investigation as GII cannot rule out political interests in all these allegations,” the statement said.

According to GII, an investigation was necessary to ensure that SADA did not become as one of the failed projects that had been initiated in the past to help reduce poverty in the North and bridge the gap between the northern and southern parts of the country.

Mr Whittal explained that under Article 218 (e) of the 1992 Constitution, CHRAJ is mandated to investigate all instances of alleged or suspected corruption and misappropriation of public moneys by officials and to take appropriate steps, including reports to the Attorney-General and the Auditor-General, resulting from such investigations.

“We don’t need a formal complaint if the issues borders on suspected corruption or misappropriation of public moneys...the only time that we would need a formal complains would be if it relates to conflict of interest,” he said.

On the involvement of other statutory bodies in the investigation, Mr Whittal noted: “CHRAJ considers it as complementary and efforts to strengthen the fight against corruption”.