Parliament To Probe CHRAJ Commissioner

A Member of Parliament�s Special Budget Committee, Frank Annoh Domphre, is leading a campaign to probe CHRAJ Commissioner, Ms Lauretta Vivian Lamptey, after it emerged she spent more than $148,000 on rent. Mr Domphre said the timing for the recent revelations is appropriate since Ms Lamptey has for two years, consistently turned down invitations by the Committee to appear before it to answer allegations of corruption against her. �Even at a point, we [the Committee] reached a consensus for her to be subpoenaed for her to appear before the Committee of Special Budgets�, the Member of Parliament for Nsawam/Adoagyir in the Eastern Region, revealed. It emerged Tuesday, that the Commissioner has in the last 33 months been paying what staff of the Commission say is huge funds on accommodation when the institution is severely cash-strapped. Ms Lamtey's African Union (AU) Village apartment cost the state $148,500 in 33 months of rent � from November 2011 to April 2014. Some of the Commission's staff say as a native of Accra, Ms. Lamptey could have gotten a less expensive place to live in herself while her 10-year old official residence located on the Patrice Lumumba road, is being renovated. But Ms. Lamptey, who is currently living in a hotel with her children after checking out of the AU Village property, parried the claims that she has been extravagant. She insisted she does not own a property anywhere in the country, adding it was government responsibility to provide accommodation for her. Speaking, however, on Joy FM's Top Story Tuesday, the MP said beyond the latest allegations of waste, there is the need to �hit her hard� for allegations of mismanagement. �There are very key personalities at the offices of CHRAJ who have mentioned to us that what she is doing to the committee is an indication of the kind of attitude that she is showing to them at CHRAJ�, Mr Domphre said. He said Parliament must, when it returns from recess, immediately call an emergency meeting on the matter. Ms Lauretta Lamptey is also alleged to have been absent from office since April this year, while vehicles donated by development partners to facilitate the Commission�s work in other parts of the country are gathering dust at its head office in Accra. Currently, Ms Lamptey lives in a hotel at daily rate of $456.25, a cost the state pays, due to delays with renovation her official residence. Joseph Opoku Gapko who visited the CHRAJ head office Tuesday said dozens of Toyota Hilux vehicles are wearing way at the mercy of the harsh weather. Staff at the CHRAJ office also told Joseph that almost a year after the place was gutted by fire, not much has been done by way of repair or reconstruction. The Public Relations, Audit and Accounts departments have all not had offices to work from since the fire, Joseph gathered. However speaking on the matter Executive Secretary of Anti-Corruption Campaign, an institution that works closely with CHRAJ Linda Ofori Kwafo, said the allegations should be referred to the Chief Justice for further investigation.