I Have Received Reports Of The �Sinking Image� Of CHRAJ � Emile Short

A former Commissioner of the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Emile Short says he has been receiving reports of the �sinking image� of the commission after leaving office. �I have received reports of the sinking image of CHRAJ both within and without� he said but refused to give further details because according to him, it might be misconstrued. Justice Emile Short was commenting on an allegation levelled against the current CHRAJ Commissioner, Ms Lauretta Lamptey that she has been spending lots of money on her accommodation. According to news reports, the state is spending about 7 billion old cedis just on her accommodation. The CHRAJ boss is currently leaving in a hotel at the expense of the state. Speaking in an interview on Citi FM, Justice Emile short said even though per his information, there have been structural changes in the house; which may account for the huge expenditure, he �finds the amount quite exorbitant and unusual�� �I left it (house) in quite good condition. When I entered the building in 1999, it was a newly constructed building and I left in 2010. If there were any renovations to be done, I would have imagined painting and things like that but when I left the building it was habitable� he indicated. Justice Emile Short also added that the three mandate of CHRAJ which are �Human rights promotion and protection, administrative justice and as an anti-corruption agency� must be reduced and given to another agency or body to operate. He remarked that even though all three mandates are important, �I have always held the view that this triple mandate is too broad and that something needs to be done to shelve the anti-corruption mandate to a different agency� The new agency according to him must be well equipped to fight corruption in the country. �I think that is one of the difficulties with combating corruption at the moment. I don�t think the anti-corruption mandate of CHRAJ has been pursued relentlessly because the agency (anti-corruption) can function when it is part of a triple mandate. I have made this recommendation in the past but not many have agreed with it,� he added.