The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has announced that it will first assess the complaint filed by Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, for an investigation into the galamsey report of Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.
The former Minister of Science, Environment, Technology and Innovation, who also served as Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, accused government officials of colluding in the fight against galamsey.
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Despite the Presidency dismissed the report, Dafeamekpor has asked CHRAJ to investigate the issue.
The CHRAJ Commissioner, Joseph Whittal, told Citi News that the commission will commence various procedures before a full-scale inquiry begins.
“The procedures of the Commission require that take we make an assessment of the complaints. It is not every complaint that is filed actually meets the standards expected of a complaint that can be admitted for investigation. So, we will do the assessment, and determine which of the mandates, if any, has been evoked by the petition, after which if there are any further and better particulars in terms of clarification of documents, we will ask for that from the lawyers of the complainant,” he said.
Mr Dafeamekpor has called for a public hearing as CHRAJ begins its investigation into illegal mining activities in the country.
In his 37-page paper, the lawmaker accused important political actors in the government of contributing to the poisoning of significant water bodies.
The MP's lawyer, Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo, said that he believes the commission will do a thorough job in investigating the issue.
“We will be importing water very soon, just as you have shown interest in the filing of the petition, please follow up the process and ask questions. Come here every day and ask where we are with the petition so that it will not look like we are the only ones interested. We will be issuing our letters to check up on it every week to find out what is happening,” he said.
He added, “I have been given utmost assurance that this matter is being taken seriously, so I leave the rest to the commission. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt that they will do an excellent job. They have done so in the past. In the darkest moments, CHRAJ has stood up to the matters of corruption and public interests. It is an existential matter; your right to have water is a right-to-life issue. I pray that all of us will make sure that this matter is thoroughly investigated.”
Meanwhile, other stakeholders are calling for an independent probe into the allegations.
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