Baba Kamara does not have to appear before CHRAJ

Ghana’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Baba Kamara, may breathe a sigh of relief as the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) ruled on Monday 15 March, at its public hearing on the Mabey and Johnson bribery scandal that he needs not appear before the commission anymore.

According to the Commissioner Emile Short it is because the matter involving Baba Kamara will be referred to the Supreme Court for proper interpretation.

“With respect to the objection raised by his Excellency Baba Kamara we shall refer that matter to the Supreme Court for interpretation and so, so far as his Excellency Baba Kamara is concerned in view of our ruling he need not appear before us anymore until the matter is dealt with by the Supreme Court”.

Baba Kamara had earlier raised objections to his invitation to appear before CHRAJ on grounds that he was not a public officer at the time the supposed bribes were paid to some Government and public officials in the 1990s by the UK Bridge constructing firm Mabey and Johnson.

Although CHRAJ in its ruling indicated that it has the mandate to investigate private as well as public individuals on any charge relating to corruption.

Mr Emile Short added that the commission referred the case to the Supreme Court under article 130(2) under which the commission will seek a determination on several issues of corruption.

Ahead of the ruling a legal practitioner, Nana Ato Dadzie, had raised issues over the decision of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to institute an open inquiry into the Mabey & Johnson (M&J) scandal.

Nana Dadzie, who is also a solicitor and counsel for Dr Ato Quashie, one of the persons mentioned in the M&J case, in a letter to CHRAJ, was of the opinion that the Commission ought not to be stampeded into an open inquiry in the M&J case when the very documents which formed the basis of the said allegations raised against the officials were unavailable or inadequate, as the Commissioner of CHRAJ, Mr Justice Emile Short himself stated recently.

According to Nana Dadzie, CHRAJ's insistence on the probe would amount to double standards when, in February 2010, Mr Short had made a public pronouncement that CHRAJ "is unable to proceed with the M&J allegation probe because it has not received all the documentation on the allegations it seeks to investigate".