CHRAJ concludes preliminary investigations into SADA projects

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has concluded preliminary investigations into the Savannah Accelerated Development Agency's (SADA's) guinea fowl and afforestation projects.

Based on information gathered, the commission has written to the Chief Executive, Alhaji Gilbert Iddi, and the Chairman of the SADA Board, Mr Alhassan Andani, who is also the Managing Director of Stanbic Bank, to respond to certain issues.

A Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ in charge of Investigations and Legal, Mr Joseph Whittal, would not divulge details of the questions CHRAJ was seeking responses to, saying that would not be fair to the respondents.

But he told the Daily Graphic that the respondents had 10 days within which to respond as per the regulations of CHRAJ.

He said the type of responses received would determine whether CHRAJ would launch full-scale investigations, during which a panel will or will not question those with information to clarify issues.

On March 25, this year, the Member of Parliament for Effutu, Mr Alex Afenyo-Makin, raised the issue of the guinea fowl and afforestation projects embarked on by SADA.

About GH¢15 million was said to have been spent on the guinea fowl project, while GH¢32.298 million was expended on the afforestation project.

The investments were widely criticised as extravagant.

Given the public outcry, the President tasked his Chief of Staff to investigate the matter, but Mr Whittal said the investigations by CHRAJ were independent of any other executive investigative endeavour.

He also said CHRAJ's involvement was triggered by the public outcry, informal information gathered on the allegations and particularly the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) which believed in a neutral and independent investigation of the matter.

By Caroline Boateng/Daily Graphic/Ghana