 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1993 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Ghana |
| Headquarters | Old Parliament House, High Street, Accra Ghana |
| Agency executives |
|
| Website | chraj |
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) is an independent governmental organization charged with safeguarding of human rights and investigating human rights abuses in Ghana. It was established in 1993 by Act 456 of the Parliament of Ghana as directed by Article 216 of the 1992 Ghana constitution. [2] [3]
The 1992 Ghana Constitution directs the legislature to establish a commission with mandate to be The National Human Rights Institution of Ghana, the Ombudsman of Ghana and an Anti-Corruption Agency and Ethics Office for the Public Service of Ghana. The commission was duly established in 1993 with the passage of the CHRAJ Act, Act 456. [4]
The commission is made up of a commissioner and two deputy commissioners, who are appointed by the President of Ghana under Article 70 of the Ghanaian constitution. The commissioner must be qualified to be a Justice of the Appeal Court and the deputies must be eligible to be justices of the High Court. [2]
The first commissioner was Emile Short who retired in 2010, in 2004 he took an indefinite leave to serve as a Justice at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, [5] his deputy Anna Bossman served as the acting commissioner in his absence. [6] He resume his post in 2009 and retired in 2010. [7] [8] Madam Lauretta Lamptey succeed him . [9] In July 2012, Joseph Akanjoluer Whittal was sworn in by President John Atta Mills as a deputy commissioner. [10] Joseph Whittal was appointed by President Mahama to replace Lauretta Lamptey in 2016. [11]
The commission serves as an ombudsman receiving and dealing with complaints about the proper functioning of public institutions and to provide redress. It appears it can do same for private entities due to the way Article 218 (c) is written.
| Commissioner | Date | Appointed | Deputies | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emile Short | (1993 — 2010) | Jerry John Rawlings | Anna Bossman | Retired [8] |
| Anna Bossman | (2004 — 2009) | John Kufour | resigned | |
| Lauretta Lamptey | (2011 — 2015 | John Evans Atta Mills | Joseph Whittal [11] | Dismissed [12] |
| Joseph Whittal | (2016 - | John Dramani Mahama | Richard Quayson [13] / Mercy Larbi [14] |
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John Dramani Mahama is a Ghanaian politician who served as President of Ghana from 24 July 2012 to 7 January 2017. He previously served as Vice President of Ghana from January 2009 to July 2012, and took office as president on 24 July 2012 following the death of his predecessor, John Evans Fiifi Attah Mills.
The Supreme Court of Ghana is the highest judicial body in Ghana. Ghana's 1992 constitution guarantees the independence and separation of the Judiciary from the Legislative and the Executive arms of government.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) is the most senior Police Officer in Ghana. The IGP is appointed by the president of Ghana acting in consultation with the Council of State. The IGP is the head of the Police service and is responsible for the operational control and the administration of the Police Service.
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The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) is the official body in Ghana responsible for all public elections. Made up of seven members, its independence is guaranteed by the 1992 Ghana constitution. The current commission was established by the Electoral Commission Act (Act 451) of 1993. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan was the first substantive chairman of the commission, from 1993 to 2015. He was succeeded by Charlotte Osei as the first female chairman of the commission from 2015 to June 2018. Jean Adukwei Mensah succeeded Charlotte Osei in July 2018. On December 5, 2018, the Electoral commission chaired by Jean Adukwei Mensah reverted to the old logo showing the Coat of arms of Ghana and a ballot box showing the hand casting its votes, after the controversy over the new logo.
Kwadwo Afari-Gyan is a Ghanaian academic, political scientist and election administrator. He was Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana from 1993 to 2015.
Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, is a Ghanaian barrister and judge who served as the first female Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana from 2009 to 2013. She was the first woman to be elected to that position in the West African sub-region. Bamford-Addo also was the first female Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana. She served in that role from 1991 till 2004 when she retired.
Lauretta Vivian Lamptey is a former Ghanaian Commissioner on Human Rights and Administrative Justice. She is a lawyer and an investment banker.
Emile Francis Short is a Ghanaian judge and academic and the first Commissioner on Human Rights and Administrative Justice in Ghana.
Nana Oye Bampoe Addo was formerly known as Nana Oye Lithur. She is a Ghanaian barrister with over 30 years experience and a politician. She is a renowned Human Rights advocate.
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) is a government agency in Ghana. The commission is responsible for the education of Ghanaians on civic matters. The commission was established by Act 452 of the Parliament of Ghana in 1993.
Anna Bossman is a Ghanaian human rights advocate. She was formerly the director for the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department of the African Development Bank (AfDB). In 2017 she was appointed Ghana's ambassador to France.
Kwasi Anin-Yeboah is a Ghanaian judge and the immediate past Chief Justice of Ghana. In December 2019, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo nominated Justice Anin-Yeboah as the Chief Justice of Ghana.
Joseph Akanjolenur Whittal is a Ghanaian who is the Commissioner of Human Rights and Administrative Justice of Ghana since December 2016.
General elections were held in Ghana on 7 December 2020. Incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was re-elected in the first round after securing a majority of the votes. Former President John Dramani Mahama announced that he would contest the results. At the Supreme Court, a petition challenging the result was filed on 30 December, and unanimously dismissed on 4 March 2021 for lack of merit.
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