<<Print>>

The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) has expressed concern over the failure of President John Evans Atta Mills to appoint a second Deputy Commission to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ). According to GII, the President constitutionally is supposed to appoint another person to replace Ms. Anna Bossman who resigned some months ago, saying, �the absence of the full complement of Commissioners must be hampering the effective and efficient operations of CHRAJ�. Below is the full statement from GII Ghana Integrity Initiative wishes to express its concern over the failure so far by His Excellency President John Atta Mills to appoint a second Deputy Commissioner to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in line with the Constitution to replace Ms. Anna Bossman. It would be recalled that Ms. Bossman resigned about eight months ago. GII has been forced to express its concern over the issue because of the importance of the work of the Commission to the nation in various areas, not the least the Commission�s mandate to deal with matters of corruption. The Constitution provides for a Commissioner and two Deputy Commissioners for the Commission to carry out its three-fold mandate. Article 216 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana states that: �There shall be established by Act of Parliament within six months after Parliament first meets after the coming into force of this Constitution, a Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice which shall consist of: a. Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice; and two Deputy Commissioners for Human Rights and Administrative Justice Furthermore, Section 2 (1) of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice Act, 1993 (Act 456) also states that �The Commission shall consist of: (a) a Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice in this Act referred to as "the Commissioner"; and (b) (c) two Deputy Commissioners for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, in this Act referred to as "the Deputy Commissioners". (d) Both the Constitution and the Act clearly vest the appointment of both the Commissioner and the two deputy Commissioners in the President of the Republic, stating that �The President shall, acting in consultation with the Council of State appoint the Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioners�. Moreover, Section 4 (3) of Act 456 states that �Where the Commissioner or a Deputy Commissioner dies, RESIGNS or is removed from office or is for any other reason unable to perform the functions of his (HER) office, the President shall, acting in consultation with the Council of State, appoint a person qualified to be appointed Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner to perform those functions until the appointment of a new Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner�. There is no doubt that the absence of the full complement of Commissioners must be hampering the effective and efficient operations of CHRAJ. GII, therefore, respectfully calls on His Excellency the President, John Atta Mills to honour his constitutional responsibility by appointing the second Deputy Commissioner for CHRAJ as soon as possible. Signed Vitus A. Azeem Executive Director � GII