Charles Ayamdoo
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative
Justice (CHRAJ) has challenged Ghanaians to report wrongdoers to the commission
to cut down on corruption.
The commission has, therefore, assured total
protection for people who come forward to report crimes.
Chief Director of the commission, Charles Ayamdoo,
who made the call, noted that CHRAJ is an independent body that cannot be
politically influenced in the performance its works, adding that by reporting
wrongdoers, whistleblowers help to save billions of public funds.
He was speaking at a one-day stakeholders’
sensitization workshop organised by the Office of the Attorney General and
Minister of Justice on the Whistleblower Act and Procurement Standard Clause.
The programme drew participants from government
agencies such as Ghana Standards Authority, Ghana Revenue Authority, Public
Procurement Authority as well civil society organisation and the press.
The Whistleblower Act, 2006 (Act 720) makes provisions
for the manner in which individuals in the public interest disclose information
that relates to unlawful or other illegal conduct or corrupt practices of
others.
The Act provides for the protection of
whistleblowers against victimization and also provides for a fund to reward
individuals who make the disclosure.
Explaining the imports of the Act, Mr. Ayamdoo
indicated that the Act empowers individuals to make disclosure of information
when they have reasonable cause to believe that the information tend to show an
economic crime “has been committed, is about to be committed or likely to be
committed.”
He said disclosures can also be made when
“another person has not complied with a law or is in the process of breaking a
law or is likely to break a law that imposes an obligation on that person,” as
well as if a “miscarriage of justice has
occurred, is occurring or is likely to occur.”
He expressed dissatisfaction about the number of
disclosures the commission received, saying the commission had since the
passage of Act in 2006 received less than 50 disclosures – and only four in
2019.
A chief state attorney, Asiama Sampong who took
participants through the role of the AG in implementing the Act touched on
reward schemes for whistleblowers which include 10 per cent of all public funds
recovered.
He said disclosures could be made to 18 different
persons and individuals including the employer of the whistleblower, a police
officer, the AG, the Auditor General, an MP, the Narcotic Control Board, EOCO,
among others.
He added that whistleblowers were not liable to
civil and criminal action unless he or she knew the information disclosed was
malicious, adding that investigators of disclosures who conceal or suppress
evidence are liable for up to five years jail term.
Abdul Latif Alhassan, an official of PPA also
took participants through the Procurement Standard Clause and indicated that
the PPA had instituted a Zero Tolerance Against Corruption And Fraud campaign
and crimes could be reported via toll free number 080010070.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak
