Resign Or Be Cited For Conflict Of Interest; PNF To CHRAJ Commissioner

We wish to reiterate our call for the dismissal of Ms. Loretta Lamptey made in 2012 questioning her competence as well as commitment to fighting corruption. It is sad to note that three years down the line she has vindicated us by being in a conflict of interest situation not for the first time. Our red flag was not noted then and we pray it is now. Let every Ghanaian note that Ms. Lamptey was forced by the court of public opinion to resign her post as board member of the Ghana commercial Bank when she initially justified her right to hold both that post and be the Commissioner of CHRAJ. For us as an anti-corruption NGO, this clear justification of a conflict of interest situation in itself a type of corruption was a clear manifestation of the fact that Ms. Lamptey could not in her own mind define her mandate as commissioner of such a distinguished organization let alone use that mandate to fight corrupt officials in the interest of the public. Our second reason worthy of note then was the fact that Ms. Lamptey came to the job without any experience whatsoever in the field of human rights and anti-corruption. In fact, our search indicated she specialized in banking and finance rather than human rights and anti-corruption. Ms. Lamptey from the onset was not qualified with all due respect to her for this job. The immediate cause and reason for our demand in 2012, that Ms. Lamptey be sacked was her failure or refusal to hear a clear case of corruption which the Progressive Nationalist Forum (PNF) had brought against Dr. Stephen Opuni of the then Food and Drugs Board (FDB) which ironically involved his rent of official accommodation as well as office accommodation. These had been done without authorization either by the board of Directors nor the Minister of Health, then Dr. Sipa Yankey. PNF with the aid of ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas had built a dossier and credible witnesses including Dr. Sipa Yankey and Prof Alex Doodoo, then chairman of the board of directors. Former commissioner Short before he could call for a public hearing of the case retired. Ms. Anna Bossman also resigned before she could hear the case. An official reminder was sent to CHRAJ for them to open a hearing of the case to which the reply was to give her time to study the dossier and get the case called as she had just assumed office. It has been four years since we launched a complaint, three years after Ms. Lamptey assumed office; our case against Dr. Stephen Opuni has yet to be called. In the meantime Dr. Stephen Opuni has gone on to take up bigger responsibilities in which he has been entrusted with huge public funds such as the CMB syndicated loan of $1.7b. Though we are not alleging corruption in his new role, we do not trust him to handle such huge funds with such a case still hanging around his neck. It is interesting to note with hindsight however that Ms. Lamptey did not have the moral right to call Dr. Opuni to account for his stewardship if she herself was engaged in the same corruption saga he was to be questioned on, albeit of gargantuan proportions than Dr. Opuni thereby allowing our potent case die a natural death. Ms. Loretta Lamptey in our view and from the above evidence is not qualified to be the commissioner of CHRAJ. Besides by her own confessions, she has been engaged in a conflict of interest situation which is an act of corruption. Comparing her performance over the last three years as commissioner, it is mind boggling that issues such as SADA, GYEEDA, SUBAH cases of high levels of corruption hitherto unknown to Ghana have passed her and the commission by. Over her reign as commissioner, not a single high profile case of public interest has been heard, Compared to Emile Short, who in the space of a year heard our cases against Hon Mahama Ayariga and Hon Muntaka Mubarak. Ms. Lamptey�s continues stay as commissioner is a drain on the public purse. The PNF is humbly requesting Ms. Lamptey to resign her post as commissioner of CHRAJ or the President should dismiss her with immediate effect. Failure on her part to resign and should the President fail to fire her, the PNF will bring a case of conflict of interest against Ms. Lamptey before the commission in the next seven days and see if she will seek to be a judge in her own court. SIGNED Richard Nyamah Fred Amankawh- Sarfo.