Parliament to probe CHRAJ Commissioner over $148,500 accommodation

A member of Parliament's Special Budget Committee, Frank Annoh Domphre, is leading a campaign to probe CHRAJ Commissioner, Ms Lauretta Vivian Lamptey, after it emerged she spent more than $148,000 on rent.

Mr Domphre said the timing for the recent revelations is appropriate since Ms Lamptey has for two years, consistently turned down invitations by the Committee to appear before it to answer allegations of corruption against her.

“Even at a point, we [the Committee] reached a consensus for her to be subpoenaed for her to appear before the Committee of Special Budgets”, the Member of Parliament for Nsawam/Adoagyir in the Eastern Region, revealed.

It emerged Tuesday, that the Commissioner has in the last 33 months been paying what staff of the Commission say is huge funds on accommodation when the institution is severely cash-strapped.

Ms Lamtey's African Union (AU) Village apartment cost the state $148,500 in 33 months of rent – from November 2011 to April 2014.

Some of the Commission's staff say as a native of Accra, Ms. Lamptey could have gotten a less expensive place to live in herself while her 10-year old official residence located on the Patrice Lumumba road, is being renovated.

But Ms. Lamptey, who is currently living in a hotel with her children after checking out of the AU Village property, parried the claims that she has been extravagant.

She insisted she does not own a property anywhere in the country, adding it was government responsibility to provide accommodation for her.

Speaking, however, on Joy FM's Top Story Tuesday, the MP said beyond the latest allegations of waste, there is the need to “hit her hard” for allegations of mismanagement.

“There are very key personalities at the offices of CHRAJ who have mentioned to us  that what she is doing to the committee is an indication of the kind of attitude that she is showing to them at CHRAJ”, Mr Domphre said.

He said Parliament must, when it returns from recess, immediately call an emergency meeting on the matter.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | George Nyavor | [email protected]