A move to officially impeach the Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Lauretta Lamptey, has been initiated by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Nsawam/Adoagyiri Constituency.
The MP, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has petitioned President John Mahama over Ms Lamptey�s decision to spend about $180,000 on rent alone within a space of three years.
She is presently said to be lodging at a hotel with her two children since her tenancy expired in 2013 and has confirmed paying $456.25 daily.
The Commissioner has come under widespread criticism for her actions, prompting various groups and individuals to call for her removal.
The Auditor General has already begun an audit into the matter, but drawing from Article 146, Article 288, Annoh-Dompreh told Citi News that �it is clear and unambiguous and so if there is supposed to be any investigation by the Auditor General, it will still not undermine or discount a petition submitted to the presidency.�
The MP�s petition to the President cited by citifmonline.com described the CHRAJ boss� conduct as �unfortunate,� especially at a time Ghana is in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a possible bailout after crippling economic and cash-flow challenges.
What the constitution says
Since the CHRAJ boss has the powers of a Justice of a Superior Court, she can only be removed according to the dictates of Article 146 of the constitution, which states that:
1) A Justice of the Superior Court or Chairman of the Regional Tribunal shall not be removed from office except for stated misbehaviour or incompetence or on ground of inability to perform the functions of his office arising from infirmity of body or mind.
The clause 3) states that �if the President receives a petition for the removal of a Justice of a Superior Court other than the Chief Justice� He shall refer the petition to the Chief Justice, who shall determine whether there is a prima facie case.�
In the petition to the President, the MP, Annoh-Dompreh, said he hoped the President would forward it to �the appropriate quarters for an action.�
He said Ms Lamptey has �allegedly denigrated the image of the institution she leads and supervises as well as demonstrated gross incompetence and must be investigated, and if found culpable, be made to face the full rigours of the law.�
He further stated that �the thrust of this petition is to create awareness to the extent that a lot more remains to be done if Ghana is to blossom in an atmosphere free of corruption and succeed in becoming a real gateway to Africa that we can all be proud of.�
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