General News of Wednesday, 27 July 2011

Source: GNA

GACC congratulates new CHRAJ Commissioner

Accra, July 27, GNA – The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) on Wednesday congratulated Ms. Laureta Vivian Lamptey, the new Commissioner for the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative (CHRAJ), who was sworn in by President John Evans Mills on Tuesday.

“We are confident that her strong legal background and immense experience as a top public servant equips her with the necessary temperament and tools to champion the cause of human rights and administrative justice,” it said in a statement in Accra.

The statement was signed by the Reverend Dr Fred Deegbe, Chairman, and Ms Florence Dennis, Executive Secretary, of the GACC.

The statement said being the first substantive woman Commissioner of CHRAJ, it was their hope that she would bring her spirit of dynamism that enabled the Commission to live up to its important constitutional responsibility of promoting human rights and administrative justice.

The statement said her appointment was at a time when CHRAJ was leading in the preparation and implementation of a National Anti-Corruption Action Plan, adding “we believe her rich experience will enhance this important exercise”.

GACC also congratulated President Mills for making the appointment and appealed to him, as a matter of urgency, to appoint the third Commissioner to ensure that CHRAJ was given the needed full leadership team in the execution of its constitutional mandate.

It pointed out that any gaps in such high level positions brought some institutional dilemmas and the government would have to demonstrate its commitment to building strong institutions by ensuring that such loopholes were plugged.

Ms Lamptey, a lawyer and investment banker, takes over from Ms Anna Bossman, Acting Commissioner of CHRAJ, who resigned recently.

Ms Lamptey holds LL.B. and B.L. degrees from the University of Ghana and the Ghana Law School respectively, and an L.L.M. in International Business Law from the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) of the University of London.