CHRAJ boss still in hotel: Finance Ministry paying bills

• Posted on November 27, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) says the Finance Ministry is directly footing the hotel bills of beleaguered Commissioner, Lauretta Lamptey.

Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, Joseph Whittal, told Joy News none of the Commission’s funds is being used to pay for the Commissioner’s hotel bills.

This revelation puts to rest public speculations about whether tax payers’ money is what being used to pay the high hotel bills for the embattled CHRAJ Commissioner despite fierce public criticism.

“The state has a duty to accommodate the Commissioner”, Mr Whittal told Joy News Francis Abban.

The CHRAJ boss has been staying at the Best Western Premier Hotel since August this year at a cost of $450 dollars per day to the state while renovation of her official residence has stalled since 2011.

Her accommodation alone has caused the state some GH¢100,000 in three months.

Mr Whittal said CHRAJ is still waiting for funds from the Finance Ministry to pay contractors renovating Ms Lamptey’s official residence.

The Deputy CHRAJ Commissioner, however, dismissed suggestions by MP for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annor-Dompreh that donor funds have been withdrawn because of the CHRAJ boss’ rent controversy.

Frank Annor-Dompreh, who is a member of Parliament’s Special Budget Committee had said lack of accountability at the human rights commission has affected donor confidence in CHRAJ.

But Mr. Whittal told Joy News even though DANIDA, a major donor, has written to them asking whether their funds were being used to pay for the Commissioner’s rent, the commission has resolved the matter.

CHRAJ also denied allegation its commissioner has yet to account for some $50,000 used to organise a human rights conference in Accra, another allegation by Mr Annor-Dompreh.

Public disgust over Ms Lamptey’s rent expenditure stems from the fact that, being at the same rank as an Appeals Court judge, Ms Lamptey is spending in excess of her legally accepted rented allowance.

Ms Lamptey has reportedly spent $148,000 on rent for 33 months.

Additionally, she has spent $180,000 on the renovation her official residence.

Ms. Lamptey was not supposed to spend more than $350 a month on her rent, the stipulated rent allowance for Appeals Court judges.

-joyonline