CHRAJ Commissioner suspended

The embattled Commissioner of the Commission for Human Rights & Administrative Justice. Ms. Lauretta Vivian Lamptey, has been suspended.

President John Dramani Mahama says the action is on the advice of the Judicial Council and pursuant to Article 146 (10) (b) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

A statement issued on Tuesday by the Flagstaff House Communications Bureau quoted the Chief of Staff, Prosper Bani as saying, “the suspension follows the establishment of a prima facie case against Ms. Lamptey by the Chief Justice, and the setting up of a five (5)-member committee to investigate complaints made against her.”

The suspension, Mr. Bani noted, is to protect the integrity of the enquiry.

Ms. Lamptey has been asked to hand over her duties to a Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, Mr. Richard Quayson, not later than Friday January 16, 2015, the statement added.

Ms. Lamptey came under a barrage of criticism after it emerged that she paid exorbitant rents for a luxury apartment at the AU Village, whilst large sums of money was being used to renovate her official residence.

One man who petitioned the President over the alleged abuse of office by the CHRAJ Commissioner demanded her suspension, following the establishment of a case of abuse of office by the Chief Justice.

According to Mr. Richard Nyamah, the suspension was necessary to foil any attempts Commissioner Lauretta Vivian Lamptey could make in order to interfere with investigations into the allegations of misconduct and abuse of office against her.

The Commissioner of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice is being investigated for paying close to $5,000 monthly rent on her plush AU Village apartment for 33 months while over GHS180, 000 was being spent to renovate her official bungalow.

The Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood initiated the investigations to ascertain the claim of abuse of office by Mr. Nyamah of the Progressive Nationalists Forum (PNF).

The Chief Justice, acting on a petition filed by Mr. Nyamah, commissioned the investigations after establishing a prima facie case against Ms Lamptey.

Mr. Nyamah petitioned President John Dramani, demanding the removal of Ms. Lamptey as CHRAJ Commissioner.