Stop hypocrisy about CHRAJ boss’ expenses

Ever since the media expose on the expenses by the Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Ms Lauretta Lamptey, came to the public domain, all sorts of holier-than-thou personalities and characters have hammered, and continue, to hammer, her without due consideration that Ms Lamptey did not do anything criminally wrong. Her faux pas was that she might have over-spent the scarce budget of CHRAJ, and showed imprudence and misjudgment in frugality.

Now, the allegations are that since August this year, she expended $456.25 daily on hotel bills. It is also alleged that Ms Lamptey spent $5,500 on monthly rent for her apartment at the African Union (AU) Village. These expenses follow Ms Lamptey wait for the completion of her official residence which is still under renovation, three years after she assumed office. According to the media reports, that means from July 2011 when she was appointed to July 2014 when her rent at the AU Village expired, a period of 37 months, a total of $203,500 was spent on her rented accommodation, including utilities.

Her purported official residence, which was occupied by former CHRAJ Commissioner Justice Emile Short, is currently being redesigned and refitted to suit her personal taste at a cost of Ghc182,000. The reports also stated that between January and August this year, the Ms Lamptey spent about Ghc120,000, based on a conservative average exchange rate of Ghc3 to $1, on her monthly rent of $5,500.

Public Agenda is not holding brief for the indiscretion and miscalculation of Ms Lamptey. But the fact is that some may have good cause to lambast and lampoon the CHRAJ boss for her indiscreet expenditure, but the fact is that some of pharisaic hate-mongers, their governments and political parties have misappropriated far more than what Ms Lamptey has spent. The Dr Richard Anane love bay scandal; the Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby-cum-Kwadwo Mpiani Ghana At 50 loot; Woyomegate; the SADA scandal; GYEEDA sleaze; are among the myriad of corrupt acts and practices that both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) members and sympathisers have been enmeshed in.

It has been proven by law courts and a Commission of Inquiry that some of these party personalities and cronies have actually misappropriated or directly looted public funds, but they have gone scot-free. What did the double-tongued hypocrites now baying for the blood of Ms Lamptey do about these stolen monies by NDC and NPP stalwarts and supporters?

The shameless and opportunistic NDC goons calling for the resignation or the sack of the CHRAJ boss are doing that because either she is not a partisan of the governing party, or out of sheer envy. Some of these NDC apparatchiks relentlessly defended Alfred Woyome who self-said he had no contract with the government, but received about Ghc51 million from the State.

She has not committed a criminal offence; neither is she in a conflict of interest situation. If her detractors so think, let them call for her prosecution. The NPP and NDC members must stop the hypocrisy now! This paper believes that it is only fair and appropriate that Ms Lamptey must refund the excess of the money she expended to the State. Resignation is an option that must be left to her good conscience!