CHRAJ Calls for Unit to Fight Corrupt Politicians

A deputy Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Rev. Richard Quayson, is proposing the establishment of a strong prosecution unit at the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s (AG) office to focus on corruption cases relating to politicians.

He further proposed that the unit should be independent enough to act on cases without advice from the AG.

It would, however, be under the office merely for the purpose of administration, Rev. Quayson added.

Such an arrangement, he told the Daily Graphic in an interview in Accra, would help in the short term to explore administrative options for the creation of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, while all worked towards the attainment of an ideal system by an amendment to the 1992 Constitution.

“We should not be afraid to explore what is doable under the Constitution. We must all push ourselves to explore the options,” he said.

Prosecutorial power

Rev. Quayson said the arrangement would not take away the prosecutorial power from the AG, as the office would be under the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s (AG) office, it would merely delegate it to an independent unit to focus on corruption cases by public officials.

He said already, the AG from time to time delegated that prosecutorial power to some state institutions such as the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to prosecute people found to be culpable.

“We should not reinvent the wheel. Already, such arrangements exist,” he contended.

He was of the view that, among other things, the establishment of the unit would help to address the concerns of a section of the public about the illegality of creating an office with prosecutorial power, as that power was exclusive to the Attorney General.

Source: Graphic