The petitioners whose plea resulted in the removal of the former EC chairperson, Mrs. Charlotte Osei, want a thorough investigation of her tenure as the former EC boss.
The petitioners plan to present the office of the special prosecutor more documents to help with the investigation of Mrs. Charlotte Osei.
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One of the petitioners, Rabiu Sulemana, indicated that “…All the grounds for which she has been found liable are also grounds for which she can be prosecuted. We are making preparations to submit these complaints to the office of the special prosecutor for investigation and possible prosecution of Charlotte Osei.”
But speaking on Citi TV’s morning show, Breakfast Daily on Thursday, Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, counsel of the petitioners revealed that evidence available to him suggested that the former EC boss was engaged in more procurement breaches beyond the findings of the committee of inquiry.
“We were able to find to the tune of Ghc 249 million which was not before the committee. After the election, even when there was a change of government they [EC] requested for an additional Ghc73 million which the current minister of finance from the committee investigated and found it dubious,” he mentioned.
Mr. Agyemang maintained that he would get to the bottom of the matter.
“At least, we should be able to investigate item by item we have been able to identify 249 million did not go through tender.”
“The pre-contractual discussions between the then chairperson, her own law firm (Prime Attorney), the manager of that law firm and the Chief Executive Officer whom I won’t mention ……who happens to be a client of the chairperson’s law firm and coincidentally, this person comes to win the contract, he wondered.”
Charlotte Osei breached procurement laws in the award of contracts – Committee
Former Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei, blatantly breached procurement laws in the award of several contracts in her three-year period at the helm of affairs, before the 2016 elections.
That was according to the report of the Committee set up by the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, under Article 146(4) of the Constitution, which recommended her removal from office, after investigating separate complaints brought against her.
Excerpts of the Committee’s report sighted by Citi News said, “All the six allegations levelled against Madam Charlotte Osei for which the Honourable Chief Justice established a prima facie case, relates to breaches to the Public Procurement Act, Act 663, as amended by the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act, Act 914”.
AG sued over removal of Charlotte Osei from office
A Ghanaian, Fafali Nyonator, sued the Attorney General over the removal of the Electoral Commission chairperson, Charlotte Osei from office.
In a suit filed, she asked the court to declare that the committee set up by the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, to investigate separate complaints brought against the three commissioners at the Electoral Commission, exceeded their powers by recommending the removal of the commissioners, and that the recommendations in the report be declared null and void.
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By: Nii Larte Lartey/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
