Short Commission Was Not Meant To Implement AWW Report – Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu

A Supreme Court Justice Nominee, Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu has commented on the work that was done by the Justice Emile Short Commission that probed the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence.

The government through its White Paper rejected most of the recommendations made by the fact-finding commission.

Government argued that the report failed to address the core terms of reference of the Commission hence its rejection of some of the recommendations.

While answering questions during her vetting today, (Tuesday, 12th May 2020 ] Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, said although she had wished government would have accepted and implemented the report, its implementation lies within the remit of government.

“When you serve on a Commission to advise the President, you are guided by law and the rule says when you hand in your report, you are functus officio. So it’s not your duty to go chasing people to implement it. It becomes a property that Members of Parliament like you should follow up and not the Commission because it does not exist anymore and for example when judges take a decision in the court, the judge may have really sweated over the decision and it goes to appeal and it is reversed, the judge does not go on a press conference to complain.”

“When you give advice, you hope that it will be taken but what I know of advice is that those who want it do not get it and those who need it, don’t want it,” she added.

---citinewsroom