Conduct Investigations Devoid of ill will and pettiness – charlotte Osei

Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) Charlotte Osei has called for investigations devoid of ill will and petiness into a contract of GHS3.9 Million she allegedly awarded unilaterally for demarcation and partitioning of an office complex without recourse to the Commission.

Some workers of the Electoral Commission (EC) have petitioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Chief Justice, Ms Justice Sophia Akuffo, to cause full-scale investigations into allegations of financial malfeasance and abuse of office levelled against the Chairperson of the commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei.
The petition which has 27 claims seeking the removal of the EC chair from office states at claim number 7 that, ”as part of compromising her independence and neutrality, Mrs. Charlotte Osei claimed that the Electoral Commission has been allocated a new building for use as office complex without the approval of the Commission. The 7 member Commission has not at any point in time formally requested for any office allocation since the Commission sees nothing wrong the current office”.

”With the Chairperson’s insatiable demand of affluence and flamboyance, she unilaterally awarded a contract to the tune of GHS3.9 Million for demarcation and partitioning of the said office complex without recourse to the Commission. She claimed she sought approval from the Public Procurement Authority but strangely enough, the contract sum is higher than approved level”.

Charlotte Osei in a response to this claim in her response to the 27 claims against her, stated that, there is no requirement in law or in policy, for the Chairperson to seek the approval of the Commission for the execution of any contracts and challenged the petitioners to provide evidence of any law or policy requiring this approval.

”An investigation into the processes for award of the contract and a value for money assessment would be welcome as it would be based on law and policies and not motivated by ill will and pettiness”, she added.

According to her, procurement laws were scrupulously followed with regards to the contract for partitioning of the 8-floor office building and that the Chairperson of the Commission is not and has never been a member of the tender evaluation committee and cannot therefore, influence the award of the contract.

Source: otecfnghana,com