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A private legal practitioner, John Ndebugri, believes any potential investigation by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) into President John Dramani Mahama’s acceptance of a Ford Expedition gift from a Burkinabe contractor, will be an exercise in futility.

“If the petitioners are seeking to condemn the President for misconduct or bringing the name of the republic of Ghana into disrepute, I doubt if the investigations by CHRAJ will lead to anything useful,” Mr. Ndebugiri stated on Eyewitness News.

On Tuesday, CHRAJ revealed it has initiated steps that could lead to an investigation of President Mahama, following the receipt of two petitions pertaining to the Ford Expedition gift given to him by a Burkinabe contractor.

The two petitions were forwarded to the Commission by the youth league of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and a private individual.

Petitioners would be better off seeking impeachment

Bearing in mind Article 57, Chapter 5 of the constitution which indicates that the President shall not be personally liable to any civil or criminal proceedings in court, Mr. Ndebugri said the petitioners would have been better served pursuing President Mahama with Article 69 of the constitution which deals with the removal of presidents.

“Then why will they not go straight away to article 69 and invoke those provisions to remove the president so that it will be constitutionally sanctioned,” he opined.

Mr. Ndebugri also intimated that, the Supreme Court may have to be involved for a definite interpretation for Article 57:5 saying “the right place to go and get a definitive pronouncement on this Article 57: 5 will be the Supreme Court and not CHRAJ.”

CHRAJ investigation hopeless

That notwithstanding, Mr. Ndebugri does not see much coming out of the petitions which he said will ultimately prove futile as the constitution would keep them from doing anything decisive to President Mahama.

“When CHRAJ comes out with the decision that it was wrong for the president to accept the Ford Expedition, what next? What can CHRAJ then do? CHRAJ can then not charge the President before a criminal court because Article 57:5 debars them from doing that… it is a hopeless thing that CHRAJ is about to do so I will advise them to wash their hands off and advice the petitioners to go to the right forum and seek proper reliefs.”