Former boss of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) Justice Emile Short says the Commission’s decision to clear President John Dramani Mahama of any fault in the Ford Expedition gift saga is problematic.
According to the former Commissioner, the decision is questionable as it is likely to send the wrong signal to public officers.
CHRAJ in a decision announced on Thursday, September 29 says President Mahama’s action in accepting the gift did not amount to bribery.
However, the decision further explained, the president violated the code of conduct for public officers in accepting the gift from the Burkinabe contractor, Djibril Kanazoe.
The youth wing of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and an individual petitioned the state’s human rights institution over the foreign contractor’s gift to the president some years back.
After investigations, CHRAJ concluded that the gift did not amount to bribery and advised against further investigation into the issue.
But reacting to the decision on 3FM’s Sunrise with Winston Amoah, the former CHRAJ boss wondered why the Commission dismissed the case if it admits the President violated the gift code for public officers.
“Well, I think the decision is problematic,” he said on Friday, September 30.
“It poses more questions. And one wonders what signal it’s sending to public officers especially the Minister for Roads and Highways, who has to deal with contractors in the course of official duties in awarding contracts?
“I said so because the Commission established that the code of gift for public officers was violated by the president yet it went ahead to dismiss the petition without granting any of the releases.”
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