Charlotte Osei’s woes have just begun; likely to face court action - Eugene Arhin

There is no closure yet to the woes of the immediate past Chairperson of the Electoral Commission(EC), Charlotte Osei as the latter is likely to have legal issues to deal with in her predicaments following a report of the Justice Benin Committee that cited her for a breach of procurement laws in the award of several contracts, prior to the 2016 elections.

The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin has indicated in some instances a recommendation for prosecution was made which will certainly be referred to the Attorney General(AG) to study for a possible action.

In all, the Chief Justice made prima facie case against the Chairperson on six of the allegations contained in the said petition.

Some aspects of the report noted that under sections 17 and 18 of the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act, Act 914, Mrs. Charlotte Osei, breached the law.

“The Head of the Donor Desk Unit of the Commission, Mr Hamid Kodie Fisa, who testified as DW 7 for the Chairperson, admitted under cross-examination that with donor-funded projects the Chairperson was required to follow procurement procedures under the Public Procurement Act. From the evidence, therefore, the Chairperson, as head of entity, breached section 38 of the Public Procurement Act, Act 663 as amended for her failure to seek approval from the Public Procurement Authority, before using the restricted tender method of procurement. Under sections 17 and 18 of the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act, Act 914, Mrs. Charlotte Osei, who is the head of entity, is responsible for this breach of the law.”

President Nana Akufo-Addo on Thursday sacked the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission Charlotte Osei and her two deputies – Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwah – from office.

The decision follows a committee’s report into petitions against the three officials. The Committee recommended their removal on the basis of stated misbehavior and incompetence, pursuant to Article 146 (1) of the Constitution.