Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) wins appeal against High Court
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has won an appeal against a High Court ruling in June 2010 that barred it from further investigations into the Mabey and Johnson bribery scandal which rocked the country in the latter part of 2009.
Dr. George Sipa Yankey, then Health Minister and Amadu Seidu, who was serving at the office of the President, resigned their positions to clear their names after they were implicated.
Alhaji Boniface Abubakar, a former Water Resources, Works and Housing Minister in the NPP regime, was among 8 Ghanaian officials whose names came up during the Southwark Court hearing in 2009 which revealed that UK construction firm Mabey and Johnson bribed government officials, mainly in third world countries in Africa and Asia, to win construction contracts.
Lawyers of the 8 persons named as beneficiaries asked the Courts to restrain CHRAJ from continuing the investigations because then CHRAJ Commissioner Emile Short had in their opinion made statements on Metro Tv that prejudiced the outcome of the investigations.
The High Court upheld that argument but CHRAJ appealed against the ruling which has now gone in its favour.
Acting CHRAJ Commissioner, Ms. Anna Bossman told Citi News the Court of Appeal said the allegations of bias against the Commission could not be upheld based on the evidence provided.
The ruling according to Ms. Bossman means that CHRAJ can resume investigations into the matter.
She said investigations will resume in the shortest possible time to finish up what the Commission had started.
However the Police Criminal Investigations Department on Tuesday March 15 launched its own investigations into the case and has since been interrogating the officials involved.
The Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service is also investigating the matter, but sources close to CHRAJ have told Citi News the CID’s involvement will not stop the commission’s investigations, explaining that the CID will go a step further to press criminal charges against the officials if found guilty, whilst CHRAJ will only come out with recommendations.
Source: Citifmonline
Category: News
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